726 comments

LOL. I just love the American Drumpf supporting Snotr community. The en masse response was to be predicted, as was the downvote of my reply to #4. Thanny and the elevation of his inaccurate claim, but the denial of reality from this mob is downright amazing and scary at the same time.

The cultish devotion to Trump and MAGA and almost red blood cell like reaction, swarming something threatening (we are NOT American alt right – sorry kids you are ) and the denial of a semantic reality is amusing and also downright scary.

Words develop multiple sense meanings over time. It is called polysemy. It is a natural part of all human languages.

#4. Thanny. It is in your own self-interest to use a limited definition of alt-right because even you apparently down want to be associated with those vile people. But that doesn’t make you right or correct.

Thanks to Trump and Bannon’s collation building of far right elements, they cast out a grievance net amongst white lower and middle class Christian men and women, the term Alt-right in an American context has come to mean far more than white nationalists. Oh, they are in your ranks, deny them all you want, but that is Trumps base.

Again – from conservapedia.com. Note the word conservative

"The Alt-right, or alternative right, is an emerging faction of the right-wing that opposes unrestrained multiculturalism, un-"skilled" immigration, and globalization"

That is the Alt-right in America. And all of you, as part of the coalition, including white nationalists, elected Trump.

The alt-right definition that you want to use is only germane to Europe. Nice try.

But deny reality all you like. As you will almost certainly do. Alt-right is now a cover term thanks to Drumpf and of you don’t like the categorization and associate then stop supporting your embarrassing racist idiot president. That man is definitely a nationalist – he has even claimed as much!! He just left put the white part on purpose because he didnt need to explicitly say it to his supporters. They know where he stands .

# 10. RobertTusk [sux2bu] sometimes pads it with this kind of nihilist stuff for rednecks as camouflage.

Completely agree but what he chooses can or often sheds additional light into his basic grievance mindset towards the world writ large. When someone with the sexist and misogynistic tendencies and belief system like Suxy posts a vid like this – you know it is coming from a place within. The title is such a give away - confronting, hot, bitch. Classic Freudian slip.

#4. Thanny ‘The alt-right is a term that refers to white nationalists, which number a couple tens of thousands at most in the US. It does not refer to people who are merely to the right of you’

Ahh #4. Thanny you would have been correct prior to the campaign and election of Donald Trump.

I suggest you read Devil’s Bargain by Josh Green. You can blame the semantic broadening of the term ‘alt-right’ on Steve Bannon. He created an umbrella for all of the angry disaffected white Americans to gather, in the name of Make America Great Again, and now alt right commonly refers to this group.

Here is the definition presented by conservapedia.com. Hardly a liberal outlet. ‘The Alt-right, or alternative right, is an emerging faction of the right-wing that opposes unrestrained multiculturalism, un-"skilled" immigration, and globalization.

Trump and Bannon have created a home for everyone from Neo-nazis and anti-globalists and every aggrieved white person in-between. It was key to his electoral success. Racism, white grievance and the supposed religious persecution of Christians.

I cant blame you for not wanting to associate with such vile people but that is the bed that you are your beloved Dear Leader have created – and one that you now have to lie in. This is Trump's base!! Are you suggesting that some of them are deplorable?

No argument there JJ. Breasts can be phenomenally attractive or enticing. Or both.

Cultural groups have different beauty standards and the fact that men seem to privilege some features, for example face / breast / buttocks, and they give these lucky women more power and control and opportunity then others, especially when it comes to men’s decision making and volition etc etc. This is most certainly rooted in our DNA and I have always found this fascinating. Despite our evolution as a species we are still held hostage to endocrine system. Women may be the physically weaker species but in terms of cunning, strategy, and psychological manipulation etc etc via sexual attraction they have evolved to be quite dominant. We really are just critters in that regard. Be it building flash bowers, creating elaborate mating dances, or demonstrations of strength or the ability to fight off competitors we are just more advanced critters.

That said, it is the losers in the battle; the jilted suitor, the unaccepted or rebuffed 'pass' and the resulting grievance and anger and invective that these men direct back at attractive women, sorry ‘bitches’ and the raw sexism and misogyny expressed in many cases is what I find disturbing.

Every man has been rejected or dismissed or turned down by a woman at some point in his life. (Same holds for women but almost every society doesn’t give then standing to complain). It hurts, and it is painful but to label a woman a ‘bitch’ for exercising her right to associate with whomever she chooses, whenever she chooses, for whatever reason she choses is inexcusable IMHO. And this video just satirizes this problem.

Ironically Suxy and his alt-libertarian ilk are almost assuredly for independence and freedom to make one’s one choice. The problem arises when the choice is not ‘them’ and then what was initially desired suddenly becomes a slut, bitch, skank, or arrogant c*unt’. Funny how that works. If you want to smash then you are fine, say no thanks and you suddenly become unworthy.

Suxy posts a lot of alt-right crap videos which provides an insight into his politics and worldview – and that is one of fear, bigotry, racism, ethno-nationalism, and increasing insecurities as the world encroaches upon him. He is an exemplar of Trump’s base; denying empirical realities, comforted by alternative facts (he almost assuredly on watches Trump TV / Faux news), and he finds solace in his own white Christian heterosexual male grievance culture. This video, right from the title, and its assumptions, inferences and rank sexism are yet another good example into his world.

Oh Suxy, were you turned down by women when you were in your courting phase? So sad.

Did they hurt your confidence and self-esteem and ego? Spend a lot of nights alone back in your room with the moisturizer and a sock, did you?

I assume you never were able to date the ‘hot’ girl of your dreams hence the animosity and why you found this funny enough to post. You probably assumed (falsely) that this was because didn’t have the car, or the job or the money or the fashion or the moves to be the playa require to land the fit hot bird with big breasts in the tight dress. Nothing to do with your personality, approach, how you treat women, possible chauvinistic superiority vibe, etc etc.

Women reject men's advances for many many reasons, as is thier right. Doesn't make them a bitch, it makes them individuals with rights. And the right to say 'no' is one of them.

This video is so riddled with clichés and sexism and assumptions and male grievance one doesn’t even know where to start.

But one thing is clear, you are sooo predictable. Of course, your grievance extends to women. After all they get so many advantages now thanks to femininism and laws that disadvantage men. It is really reverse sexism you know and so unfair. You have expressed sexist opinions before. Objectifying and stereotyping women, you know the ‘hot bitch’ scenario was, sadly, all but expected.

Ok but it is certainly not difficult to decide who is the least pleasant, least social and most caustic ????
And sadly, I think you take pride in that.

As for the video – it is a simplistic, rambling, alternative fact laden, fearful, racist tinged rant. Sound like any cuurent world leader that we know? No wonder why Suxy poste this rubbish, it comports with his worldview and political stance.

And JJ et al, I have also uploaded at least dozen vids that didn't make the cut yet this crap did. And for the record, a number were non political or controversial in the slightest. Yet somehow Wald-Drumpf-lite did.... At least we have something to discuss ;-)

#18. ughlah Dont let Foxy drive you away.
Yes he almost always starts off as a biting surly c*unt and he never really lets up but that is the beauty of an online community.
There are opinionated misanthropes amongst us. Such is life and to be expected.
Dont leave, push back and dont take it personally.
Few weeks back Foxy was a total bellend when he went after JJ over some fun ribbing over Thunders. What was a funny exchange about boys using cars to impress a woman got ugly right away thanks to Foxy but JJ never took the bait or left.
I woudl like to suggest you do the same. Hang around and punch a shitbird in the nose from time to time. ;-)

This is an outstanding question. It is hard to tell if Suxy posts these vids because he agrees with the positions and values expressed or to start a discussion or simply to troll.

He refuses to follow up, I have called out this cowardice of confidence before, so that rule sout discussion leaving agreement or trolling. And I suspect it is both. He likes to troll libtards and social justice warriors as he calls them. Regardless, I am happy to play the role of alt-right fluffer if just to push back against some ugly unformed ideas.

Anywho – with all due respect #5. Ughlah xenophobia is NOT an instinct. Xenophobia is clearly a learned behaviour and reaction and it is culturally and generationally transmitted. There is noting instinctual about it at all.

Countries themselves are a modern construct and the fear or prejudice of the citizens, aka xenophobia, for whatever reason is an entirely learned behaviour.

What humans have is a natural fear of or reaction to difference in phenotype, non-kinship or tribal affiliations and so on. Just like any other critter. When someone new wanders in and we don’t know them, we react with caution. That is a natural and ancient and perhaps even limbic level reaction tied into self-preservation and safety. We fear and react to the unknown out of self-preservation.

However, it is attributing the negative racial, ethnic, sexual religious qualities – the racism, xenophobic, homophobic, etc to that difference and making that the argument for fear or hatred or exclusion or even violence – all that is all added on and learned behaviour. The science behind this is quite strong. Nothing instinctual about that refined level of hatred or fear.

I am actually curious to first learn 1) if Suxy found this funny and 2) why is it funny?
And since Foxy posted first, Foxy, why did you find this funny?
Simple question to both of you. What was it about this sketch that you found amusing?

Deconstructing humour can be challenging. I hope you will give it a shot.

Oh yes JJ, and I have got the scars, the ink, the unsavoury friends who show up from time to time looking to lay low until the heat blows over, the mysterious disappearances and unsolved deaths of former acquaintances, an outstanding fatwah, and a bounty on my head in 2 SE Asian countries as a result….

Crazy times indeed .. but that is all in the past. Now I am just a humble bee keeper living in a small mountain village who is trying to live a righteous and just life and to make amends for my past sins..

This is just an excuse for a bunch of boys, in adult bodies, to put flammable gas tanks into fire and blow things up.

Some things never change. The rationalizations may be a bit more clever but it is still boys playing with fire and making things explode. Been there and done that myself. ;-) Never with a large propane tank however. A can of auto starting fluid, yes, and that fireball scared some sense into us so we stopped before one of us got hurt.

I am still waiting for your answer. Not that it will ever happen - bigots like you cant handle the glare of the pushback.

>‘What are the numbers of Islam followers who do believe in "all that crap" in the Quran as gospel?

You are asking me to prove a negative, or at a minimum, you have proposed a silly unqualifiable proposition.

It is only fair; since you presented such an unqualifiable and unfalsifiable claim that, it is incumbent upon you to provide a number for me to work with. It is only right that burden of proof lies upon a person making unfalsifiable claims, rather than shifting the burden of disproof to others.

Clearly, you have some % in mind to make such claim. Please share that % with us and how you reached that number. This is your assertion and claim – it is up to you to back it up.

One we have established that we can go on with our discussion. Looking forward to your answer.

And he is really talking about what is known as selection bias or what happens when one doesnt take a proper randomized sample.

And yes, the selfie stick shtick. That seems to be his thing. Pacing about and reflecting on a topic. I dont get a Christian vibe, he is talking about statistics which is really science about analysis, interpretation, replication, falsifiablity etc and that is kind kind of an anathema to most who are content with accepting things on beliefs and not facts and probability.

And that woman, not a Dalek, you insensitive lout , is wearing the traditional dress called a hanbok. The 'belt' is up on the chest below the breasts. They are beautiful to look at but apparently miserable to get into and hard to maneuver in due to the multiple layers.

#9. captain_obvious [and all sudden everyone becomes a religion expert. remember we can all acces google]

Indeed. But being able to google something is not the same as being able to use that information effectively in an argument or to make a counterpoint or salient counter example to asinine ignorant hate based claims. One does not presuppose the other. Or allows someone to suddenly become a ‘religious expert’. A claim none of us have made to my knowledge.

Here is the full reference ‘ And when she had presented him the meat, he took hold of her, and said: Come lie with me, my sister. She answered him: Do not so, my brother, do not force me: for no such thing must be done in Israel. Do not thou this folly. [II Kings 13:8-12] But he would not hearken to her prayers, but being stronger overpowered her and lay with her. [II Kings 13:14]

Oh Snotty, I see that you have drawn inspiration from the great logician and orator, one S. Palin, and drawn up some good ‘gotcha questions’.

The problem is that when you are arguing out of fear, hate, bigotry and ignorance you are naturally talking a skewed subjective perspective and that often leads to limited vision and weak arguments.

> is there a large group of Christians that are still living under the Old Testament? Let us explore this. The obvious inference is that the Old Testament can be ignored and has nothing to do with the New Testament. Odd given that both are supposedly the word of God no? And the former clearly influenced and guided the latter. Nevertheless, it does make for a sticky wicket…

‘The Old Testament is God’s Word just as much as the New Testament is; in fact, it was the only Bible that Jesus knew (since the New Testament hadn’t yet been written). The Bible says, “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful” (2 Timothy 3:16, emphasis added)’ . The book of Psalms, for example, is a treasured part of every Christian’s Bible. The same could be said of other parts of the Old Testament, such as Proverbs or some of the prophets. The prophets and historical books demonstrate how God deals with the human race. The Bible says, “These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us” (1 Corinthians 10:11)' https://billygraham.org.uk

So best case scenario is that you are suggesting that only the bad ugly nasty bits of the Old Testament are ignored and the good lessons carried forward. How very convenient!

Speaking of nastiness you New Testament also allows for the following.

1. You can kill a woman if she seizes a man's private parts without his permission: Deuteronomy 25:11-
2. Perversity and human trafficking condoned (1 Peter 2:18).
3. Sex slavery: "When a man sells his daughter as a slave, she will not be freed at the end of six years as the men are. If she does not please the man who bought her, he may allow her to be bought back again." Exodus 21: 7-8.
4. Divorce akin to debauchery: "" (Luke 16:18).
5. Incest and getting drunk with dad is no problem [Genesis 19:31-36].
6. Looking at a woman with desire is akin to adultery: "" (Matthew 5:28) and
7. And incestuous rape is cool: [II Kings 13:8-12] [II Kings 13:14]

It is also a primitive book with respect to race, sex, gender, etc. etc. And no good modern Christian would ever accept these things, nor would most civil laws, so what do you demand that all Muslims not only follow, blindly and obediently, the worlds of Allah uncritically, but also act out with violence and such towards spouses, children nonbelievers etc.? A huge majority obviously do not.

The bottom line is just because a book, be it the Quran or the Bible or Talmud, written in the Bronze Age, permits something you simply can’t assume that all followers follow or accept or undertake these practices – and that is where your fear and bigotry of Muslims shows. And your ignorance.

Lastly, there is this gem ‘What are the numbers of Islam followers who do believe in "all that crap" in the Quran as gospel?

You are asking me to prove a negative, or at a minimum, you have proposed a silly unqualifiable proposition.

It is only fair; since you presented such an unqualifiable and unfalsifiable claim that, it is incumbent upon you to provide a number for me to work with. It is only right that burden of proof lies upon a person making unfalsifiable claims, rather than shifting the burden of disproof to others. Clearly, you have some % in mind to make such claim. Please share that % with us and how you reached that number. This is your assertion and claim – it is up to you to back it up. One we have established that we can go on with our discussion. Looking forward to your answer.

Ha ha. This video is really helpful in that it points out that Muhammad, who lived in the 6th century, and thus the Quran, represented 6th century human scientific understanding, social values, and cultural practices. What Suxy and his follow religious bigots consistently seem to conveniently forget is that his Bible was also written in the EXACT SAME PERIOD and thus contains a slew of Bronze Age knowledge, references, and instructions for cultural practices.

The Bible is no better in terms of science, treatment of women, treatment of nonbelievers and apostates, sexual practices, war’ slavery, etc etc. But don’t tell Suxy et al that.

Religious zealots, be they Muslims, Jews or Christians, those who follow these retrograde practices, are a minority of believers and don’t represent the religion as a whole. But don’t let a good anti-Muslim smear campaign get in the way of a hateful unfunny rant.

BTW, the age of eligibility for marriage in the Bronze Age (when the father could give the child away – females / women had no rights regardless of age) has been argued to be as low as 12 in Roman Law and no age is even mentioned in Leviticus 18. The age of 12 for women seems to be the consensus for Christians and Jews of that period so for a Muslim to take an adolescent bride would be in line with cultural customs and values - again of that period. But don’t let a good smear and a lack of historical context get in the way.

And yes the Bible has quite a few negative things to say about prostitutes and prostitution. Good thing that God fearing Bronze Age to modern day Christians have never used sex workers. Ever. It is the world’s oldest profession for a reason – at least the Muslims tried to work around this reality as opposed to condemning it even while clearly using sex worker services. Hypocrisy has never stop Christians from condemning others for activities that many of them also quietly practice or share.

A version of Alexa using the Bible as a basis for reason, rationalising, instruction and worldview would be equally sexist, racist, primitive and shocking. Which is why modern Christians, Jews and Muslims, which are the great majority of believers, would decry this shitty video for the bigoted stupidity that it is.

But laugh away smug Suxy – you have managed to bring discord via your bigotry and hatred of others to Snotr once again. Hooray...

#8. Judge-Jake [I would not live in America now anymore than I would live in Russia or North Korea]

Good call JJ. America is home to California and I just read some horrifying statistics.

First, the streets are awash in the worst of the worst criminals thanks to a Democrat Governor’s decision to release them early and as a consequence crime rates remain historically low.

And then the taxation is crazy. I read that ‘dozens of millionaires fled California after the 2012 tax increase'. Dozens of millionaires.

For the sake of discussion let’s make dozens an even n=48. In 2018 California's population was n=37,253,956.

Wow! California lost 0.000129% of its population, millionaires at that, to progressive taxation.

When a country and a state cant respect its top 11% of society (2018 estimates), the millionaire and above economic classes, and penalises people who have succeeded (In California high earners are taxed 9.3 percent plus an additional 1 percent surcharge on income over $1 million (this, and all millionaire taxes, are over and above the standard federal tax rate that applies) then one best look for another place to live.

And judging by the down votes our Umerican colleagues are as thin skinned as the Hair Führer himself. And this is in spite of all of Drumpf’s documented lies, his cratering of segments of the US economy with utterly counterproductive protectionist tariffs than only hurt American consumers and manufacturers, and the manufactured crisis on the border with Mexico and the pointless and costly shut down of the America government. And that is not even considering the conspiracy with Russia to steal the election, rank corruption, nepotism, and the damage he is doing to the American environment and geo-political world standing.

President Drumpf is, hands down, the most incompetent and incapable leader the Americans have ever had and yet his base, as represented by Snotr down votes, stands by him. It is amazing. Truly amazing. And a cult like devotion to a infallible Dear Leader.

Snotty, Suxy et al. Is there anything, anything at all that would shake your confidence in Trump? Anything at all?

Suxy, you really should take some time away from your alt-ranting and read up on what are called cognitive biases. Given your past postings and your alt-leanings I am not surprised that you have selected a publication, the Investor's Business Daily (IBD) which holds ‘a conservative political stance’. This is just speculation but I am reasonably confident that you suffer from what is known as Confirmation Bias. You have selected an authoritative source that comports with your conservative worldview – thus confirming you dislike of things liberal and big intrusive governmenty and California is the perfect poster child for your venting.

"California ranks low on our list (43rd) due to high taxes, cost of living, and the cost of starting a business. However, it gets an honourable mention because the state is home to some of the most entrepreneurial and startup-friendly cities in the country.

Not only is Los Angeles the 3rd most entrepreneurial city in the U.S. according to our recent study, San Francisco ranked 7th and San Diego ranked 13th. In addition, San Diego and Los Angeles are the 6th and 9th best cities for start-ups according to our 2018 study, respectively."

* So California is attractive to some - not just all millionaires. *

And I am curious why you, a working man, is so concerned about millionaires? Your concern for the upper 11% of society (2018 estimates) is interesting to say the least

And hyperbole much?

> in a state where politicians tax people and companies to the point where they can't take it anymore.
You make it sound like a civil war is about to break out.

Reality check.

‘California lost about 1.4 percent of its population to other states over five years.22 May 2018’
That doesn't sound like wide spread fleeing

> You like to argue about things you know nothing about except what you read.
Heaven forbid I become informed on an issue by reading… you should try it sometime but may I suggest a range of sources, not just ones that agree with your world view.

>People in California care a lot about what is going on in their state whether you do of not.
??

Never said they didn’t. Simply commented that your video is and was and remains a self-indulgent self-pleasuring rant. And on that note I think I am done being your fluffer. Time for some wine and a late dinner. Always a pleasure to engage with you Suxy. Until next time.

#11. sux2bu. Once again, we are all left wondering what is the point of this video?

People all over the world hate taxation and unlike many other countries, you Americans have the option to move to another state. Most of us who live outside Umerica and in higher tax countries usually don’t have such freedom so your whinging is really falling on deaf unsympathetic ears. You have options we don’t so please zip it on the complaints.

Furthermore, the video gives you, and an your alt-buddy Snotty, a forum in which to vent your clear dislike of taxes, government, liberals, regulations, and the State of California. Ok. But it is really a self-indulgent and self-gratifying activity. First you subject us to your pointless alt-porn and then we are treated to you and Snotty gratifying one another with additional anti taxation and California screeds (with assorted lies tossed in as a reach around). If the two of you want to jerk each other off, ok, but please spare the rest of us on Snotr. You want to knock one out with your buddy on the Internet? Head over to the Daily Caller. I am sure they would be happy to set up good dogging party.

Basically everything that has been learned and revealed in the last 2 years. I guess this hasn't been discussed on Faux News or if it has you have had only been treated to the wisdom and lies of unctious Nigel Farage.

Allow me to self-plagiarize.

The evidence is overwhelming that the British voted for Brexit based on lies, fraudulent claims, Russian bot media manipulation and wishful thinking. The public had no idea of the complexity of getting out, the actual costs it would entail, and the hardship it would cause.

People voted for a proposal that was packaged in an appealing patriotic quasi-nationalistic message that deliberately didn’t contain any substantive details and was buttressed by a series of emotionally compelling lies and a clever ad campaign . Now that the actual costs and hardships have become known, the UK will be set back a decade in terms of growth, worse with a hard Brexit, which seems to be the reality now. Putin is laughing his ass off at the instability he has created.

If you had presented this upfront to the UK populous I doubt they would have voted to leave. The EU is not perfect but it is a complicated deal with the devil. The only way I see forward is a second referendum – it is the only democratic option. Present the actual costs and terms of leaving and put it to a vote - do we as a country want to do this? Vote on the actual terms of the divorce not just a slick package of feel good lies.

I think it is safe to say that the swimmer had to thoroughly rise out the seat of his or her wet suit after that close encounter with a mother critter and her young. Beautiful interplay between them however and the curiosity and beauty of animals will never get old.

Now that we have entered an era where facts and empirical evidence can apparently be ignored or dismissed as have a ‘bias’, or ‘alternative acts’ can be presented and treated by some as legitimate, I think it is incumbent on all to call out lies as lies and to not let mistruths or falsehoods go unchallenged. Especially when in the service of bigoted, racist or hateful arguments.

Snotty spewed a whole slew of ½ truths, distortions and lies. Notice his silence and lack of rebuttal. That is the thing with these bombastic alt-righters, many are cowards who live in echo chambers and cannot think critically. The moment someone calls them out on their rubbish – they scurry away.

‘So I took it to the police and even with the video evidence they said it was not worth their time.’

We have been here before....

One could say, bollocks, and take it to the Chief of Police or to the Mayor’s office and demand that something be done for one’s tax dollars. Yes, this kind of theft does make one feel violated, and the police refusing to do anything is completely unacceptable. With this video evidence, one should be able to get some action from the most recalcitrant and lazy of police. Record the police saying that ‘this is not worth our time’, posting it on line and harness social media to raise a shit storm should get results. Or someone fired.

Or you could follow Sux2bu’s inclination, as a proud gun owner, and employ the ‘castle doctrine’ or ‘defence of habitation’ and shoot the bastards. A thief deserves nothing less- right Suxy?

The refusal of the police to act is unacceptable.

I do like this non-lethal way of tagging these bastards. Pity it wasn’t an exploding bank dye pack.

Still don’t think any package is worth taking a human life over. A feeling of violation can be worked past, merchandise replaced, but bullet wound and/or death is forever.

BTW- f-ing genius approach and video. Pity it wasn't a more permanent humiliation - like a dye pack. And the fart spray was priceless.

My favourite is the argument that California’s Proposition 47 (early release program) was responsible for an increase in crime.

Snotty out-Foxed himself in his gross misrepresentation of basically everything.

> 10's of thousands of state prisoners (I repeat, state prisoners- these are not for unpaid parking tickets or for a joint, these are the worst offenders in the state) released into the streets.

'Worst of the worst.. Bollcoks. That is a flat out lie. A hyperbolic Faux News lie.

In 2014, Proposition 47 reduced a handful of drug and property crimes from felonies to misdemeanours. Those crimes include possession of certain drugs as well as petty theft, receiving stolen property and forging/writing bad checks when the amount involved is $950 or less.

This was not the worst of the worst. Big Snotty’s lie #1.

Numbers tell the story. So the crime stats in CA from 2014-16 did show an increase in violent crime rates, per 100,000 people, from 393.3 to 443.9. And property crime rates per 100,000 people rose from 2,459 to 2,544.4.

Oh, my Snotty and his alt-ilk must be correct… however, something Snotty cannot grasp, causation is NOT correlation.

First, 2014, happened to be the year in which the property crime rate hit the lowest ever recorded by the state. Consequently, the increase from 2014 to 2016 turned out to be a case in which California’s property crime rate rose from the lowest on record to the second-lowest on record.

Secondly, between 2006 and 2016, as the prison population fell from 163,000 to 115,000, statewide violent crime rates per 100,000 fell by 17 percent and property crime rates fell by 20 percent. ” It has been reasonably argued that California long passed the point of diminishing returns with respect to crime in packing so many people in state prisons.

Furthermore, according to Public Policy Institute of California any discussion of crime and crime increases in California is within the context of historically low crime rates.

Then in 2018 researchers from the University of California, Irvine released the findings of their research into the impact of Prop 47 on violent and property crimes. The researchers compared California’s crime trends since 2014 to the trends of a “synthetic California” comprised of states – New York, Nevada, Michigan and New Jersey – which have had similar crime trends to California from 1970-2015.

Their findings?

“Our findings suggest Proposition 47 is not responsible for increases in homicide, rape, aggravated assault or robbery,” the researchers note in a fact sheet summarising their research. “While our findings appear to show that larceny and motor vehicle thefts increased following Proposition 47’s enactment these findings don’t hold up to additional testing.”

This research adds to a growing body of evidence that, contrary to the hysterical claims of those most opposed to criminal justice reforms like Prop 47, the reforms undertaken by California in recent years do not make us less safe.

However, do not let reality and stats get on the way of a good fear mongering meme Snotty. Proper longitudinal research has shown that your argument does not hold water. And you are just trafficking in lies.

Odd that they include the Sentinel Islands on this list. I just read a Yelp review that said it was a lovely place.

3 stars

‘Bit hard to get to but worth the trip. Lovely beach. Locals were a bit skittish at first, kind of standoffish, and one accidentally shot an arrow at me but luckily, God directed it into my bible. I just know their lives will be improved once they accept Jesus Christ as their Lord and saviour. I am really looking forward to my return trip on the 16th. The natives seem excited as well, they indicated that a bigger group would meet me on the beach when I get back.

Snoty, you make many bombastic claims. Let’s see how they stack up to reality by fact checking your claims!!

>Highest or near highest sales taxes. Not true.
The five states with the highest average combined state and local sales tax rates are Louisiana (10.02 percent), Tennessee (9.46 percent), Arkansas (9.41 percent), Washington (9.18 percent), and Alabama (9.10 percent). California is 9th. https://taxfoundation.org/

> Highest utility prices (electricity) . False. Hawaii has the highest residential electricity prices in the United States, then South Carolina, Alabama, Connecticut, and Maryland. CA is in the lowest bracket. https://www.eia.gov/

> we have the worst roads. Almost accurate. California is 3rd. Rhode Island and Connecticut are rated worse.

Now the big pack of mistruths…
>12% of the nation's population, yet we have 35% of the nation's welfare cases.
Misleading. States with the most people on food stamps, District of Columbia, Mississippi., new Mexico. West Virginia. Oregon. Tennessee. Louisiana. California is not in the top 15

>10's of thousands of state prisoners (I repeat, state prisoners- these are not for unpaid parking tickets or for a joint, these are the worst offenders in the state) released into the streets.

Tens of thousands of the worst offenders – hyperbolic nonsense. Yes, early release to ease overcrowding but your repeating of a Fox news talking point does not make it accurate or true. Show me the numbers via a proper study – not breathless alt-right fearmongering. An statistical increase in crime due to early parolees in CA.

>Sanctuary cities where criminal aliens are NOT deported, but allowed to stay and continue to commit crimes against innocent citizens etc. FALSE AND A LIE. Good Fox talking point but all empirical evidence, actual studies, have shown no evidence of this correlation. But dont let that stop you repeating such demagogic lies.

June 19, 2018. Journal Criminology . Do places with higher percentages of undocumented immigrants have higher rates of crime? The answer is a resounding no.

‘States with larger shares of undocumented immigrants tended to have lower crime rates than states with smaller shares in the years 1990 through 2014. "Increases in the undocumented immigrant population within states are associated with significant decreases in the prevalence of violence,". The data was analysed 57 ways but not one showed any positive relationship between illegal immigration and crime. Conclusion - not only does illegal immigration not increase crime, but it may actually contribute to the drop in overall crime rates observed in the United States in recent decades.

Snoty you really need to get your fact and figures right. A great majority of your claims regarding California are either false, misleading, or not as strong as you claim. And your rants against illegal immigrants and crime is empirically wrong, multiple studies have shown this, but also reveals your racist tendencies – yet again.

And the point of this video is???? Who submitted this? Oh… now I get it.

Suxy starts 2019 with another pointless thinly veiled libertarian rant / protest against taxation and big government – with an utterly silly comparison.

Yes, Nevada does not have an income tax. It also has a state budget for 2018 of $8.1 billion and a population of 3,060,150 people.

California on the other had has a 2018 budget of $190.3 billion and a population of 39.78 million. More importantly, California is the world's fifth-largest economy, according to the U.S. Department of Commerce. Its 2017 Gross State Product was $2.747 trillion. That economy and population requires services and those are paid for by taxes. They go hand in hand.

What is the point of this Suxy? This is the beauty of America. If you do not like the state and its services for all of its citizens then you are free to move. Taxes in California are making people move elsewhere. Ok. And as we have learned from your past posts you are a ‘maker’ and you do not like paying for ‘takers’. And you built your life and family with no government support. Except for the roads, police, military, city and state governments, water, electricity etc. etc… all things taxation made possible.

Anyway, I get your point. You do not like taxation and regulation – especially on guns. Good on you mate. Looks like 2019 is going to be no different from past years with Senor Suxy.

Respectfully to all who have commented on The UK’s situation if Brexit happens (and sorry #4. Huldu there is zero evidence of the UK being ‘far better off outside of the EU’ but plenty to suggest up to a decade of economic hardship as new treaties / policies / laws / agreements are negotiated etc. etc.) what most Brexiteers forget is that the public voted for it based on lies, fraudulent claims and wishful thinking. The public had no idea of the complexity of getting out, the actual costs it would entail, and the hardship it would cause.

People voted for Brexit because they were sold a pack of lies. Add in the Russian bots amplifying the message and you get the looming disaster.

What were people promised? And these all come from leading politicians who championed the Brexit.

1) £350m for the NHS LIE. This number was pulled out of the air, touted by Boris and Nigel, and slapped on their bus but it has no legitimacy. Notice how this promise has died a quite death.

2) Brexit will be easy, and have no downsides There will be no downside to Brexit, only a considerable upside. Promised by David Davis, Michael Gove, John Redwood, Liam Fox, Boris, Nigel etc. etc.
Really? Anyone in the private sector with a background in govt and trade and law and business claimed bullocks.

3 The UK did not need a transition deal and would not be subject to EU rules or budgets during one
Yup. Complete and total knowable in advance lie.

4. The UK would owe no money to the EU after it left in March 2019 LIE. Current divorce costs are estimated at €40bn to €45bn

5. A raft of new trade deals would be ready on 29 March 2019
As the UK crashes towards a hard Brexit … zero trade deals have even been discussed.

6. There would be no role for the European court of justice in Britain after Brexit day
Rubbish. The ECJ will have full jurisdiction during the transition period and the ECJ interpretation of relevant civil rights laws are likely to hold thereafter.

7 Britain will take back control of its fisheries after Brexit The reality is the EU will have continued access to UK fishing waters throughout the transition period and has demanded reciprocal access afterwards too as a condition of any future trade deal.

8. More money for scientists, and farmers. Not true. We lose all access to EU funding, grants and partnerships. This has been / will be devastating for higher ed, science, the tech sector, banking, and agriculture.

9. ‘“After we Vote Leave, there won’t be a sudden change that disrupts the economy.” – Boris Johnson, Gisela Stuart and Michael Grove. Really? Only a politician could make such a statement with a straight face.

The UK, because it is leaving a larger multinational trading block developed over decades, was always going to be at a strategic and negotiating disadvantage. The same rules and regs from Brussels that people hate also make exiting incredibly difficult. This should have fooled no one.

People voted for a proposal that was packaged in an appealing patriotic quasi-nationalistic message that deliberately didn’t contain any substantive details and was buttressed by a series of emotionally compelling lies and a clever ad campaign . Now that the actual costs and hardships have become known, the UK will be set back a decade in terms of growth, worse with a hard Brexit, which seems to be the reality now. Putin is laughing his ass off at the instability he has created.

If you had presented this upfront to the UK populous (or your fellow citizens #4. Huldu) I doubt they would have voted to leave. The EU is not perfect but it is a complicated deal with the devil. The only way I see forward is a second referendum – it is the only democratic option. These are the terms of leaving – do we as a country want to do this? Vote on the actual terms of the divorce not just a slick package of feel good lies.

Meh. Too intellectual. The answer is far simpler. Suxy had it right. Sculptor’s studios were rarely heated ergo the ideal conditions for shrinkage. As for the obvious question, what about summer sculpting, what artist works during the best holiday months? The is the time for going to the beach and attending summer Bacchanalias. Who has time to work with all the drinking and sexing and partying? Let's be honest, artists (i.e 'takers') are not known for their work ethic. Real sculpting only started in September… when the new crop of male nude models was introduced. Pity the models in Dec - March, they always had the smallest junk. One just has to apply Occam’s Nude Razor and the answer is obvious.

To the people that down voted #2. Klemm's suggestion to [record the license plate and call the police].

I will speculate, given past discussions, that you may be the law and order Americans. Passive safe presumably police recommended actions (i.e let them handle it) haven't sat well with you - you have advocated 'action for the assuring punishment, preserving public peace, and for the sake of justice. Ok. To each their own.

This happened in Europe and Santa did what he did, giving chase and putting his body on the line, in part because he had a good expectation that the driver would not have a gun. This is just a fact. We dont enter confrontations expecting the opponent / assailant / criminal to have a gun. Knife possibly but no gun.

I would never take such action, that is a traffic stop, in America because of the legitimate fear that the driver will have a gun. This is the fear of all police officers as well which is why they hate tinted / shaded car windows.

So, to all the down-voters, as American drivers don't you have any concern that the driver might have a gun?
Would you have taken such action had this occurred in America? Be honest. [record the license plate and call the police] is your only safe option in America - so why the down votes?

I am not sure how you see this as a sign of a troubled relationship JJ

I think the only thing that one can reasonably infer from my post is that one end of my tub or one side of my shower cabin is full of shower products and the other is not.

This is an accepted state of affairs and one that I am apparently destined not to understand. Nor do I need to. I just marvel at the range of products that seem to appear, disappear, and go on with my life.

This sculpture is creative and all and interesting to look at but clearly designed by a male sculptor, who either lives on his own, has no interest in women or has no experience living with women.

If this sculpture was even remotely realistic the shoreline would be strewn with bottles of conditioner, scrub, more scrub, exfoliating scrub, a ½ used bottle of new shampoo for brown hair that didn’t really pan out, two or more bottles of face peeling mask (whatever that is) and an bottle of expensive stuff that was suggested by the stylist that you can’t use because it is too expensive and you can’t appreciate it.

I was quite worried for a minute. The title '360 Flip Wallenberg Uncut' sounded like some circumcision documentary. I was concerned that we might be treated to a home video of Rabbi Mendelsohn performing Chris Cole’s briss.

7. cretu . With all due respect, I am definitely NOT a troll. A sarcastic dork (thanks JJ) perhaps but not a troll.

Wikipedia gives a nice definition of a troll.

‘In internet slag a troll is a person who starts quarrels or upsets people on the Internet to distract and sow discord by posting inflammatory and digressive, extraneous, or off-topic messages in an online community with the intent of provoking readers’

I do not start quarrels per se I simply respond to responses that I feel are disingenuous, misleading, deliberately hateful and / or ignorant, racist, factually incorrect, or are blatant alt-right agitprop.

(Ok, in fairness, not completely true. Sometimes I will break form and post a comment that co-opts the language, ideology and worldview of people I utterly disagree with simply for selfish amusement. See the anger thrown at me for my Central Coast Spotlight: Farm workers post. And rightfully so, it was hideously ignorant and racist and ethno-nationalist by design and wording but I suspect a number of prominent American alt-righters on Snotr agreed with that gross invective. All I did was paraphrase Trump, Jeanine Pirro from Fox and congressman King from Iowa. I offered zero original thought to be honest and just carried the analogy to the German situation. )

Anyway, back to trolling, unfortunately the act of correcting some people, providing facts, or pointing out the obvious ideological or racist or provided slant of posts – can cause discord, hostility, and rancour. Agreed. However, I always try to treat people with respect and civility, which is not a characteristic of a troll; in fact, it is the opposite.

If anything, I do not suffer fools gladly. And I cannot help it if nomaddaf et al constantly offer themselves of as ripe targets.

What a teamendous video! So capteavating… I was teanse the entire time. And when the tea exploded past the cup – teariffic! As #3. Kenutea said – this was so beauteaful. Wow. Once again the power of slo-motion vid brings a tea-r to my eye.

How is it racist to want secure borders, control over who enters my country and when, and to require that people who do work are legally entitled to in my country?

I am simply putting American interests’ first, American citizens and taxpayers’ interest first, Americans physical and economic safety first. You could call me an American Firster. I do not understand how or why that is wrong, controversial, or racist. You say it like ethno-nationalism is a bad thing. I just want to give America and American interests priority.

In fact your soon to be ex-Chancellor Angela Merkel is paying the price of ignoring these important obligations to her citizens. Had she listened to her constituents’ concerns about physical safety, economic safety, and respecting German cultural values, she would still have a job. It took a forward thinking party like the AfD to highlight these concerns and shake up the political establishment. Perhaps it is time for Germans to think of a ‘Germany First’ campaign themselves. Given Germany’s economic might and role in the EU, I think this would resonate well with all continental citizens. Germany First. #MGGA. Make Germany Great Again. Why not? I imagine other European nations would appreciate the leadership especially when it comes to unchecked refugees and all of the probelms they cause.

How can I show my appreciation??? All I see are a whole bunch of brown and browner people with zero green cards taking good labour intensive agricultural jobs away from Americans.

Where are the Americans in the video? I didn’t see a single one.

This is just pro Central American caravan propaganda. And left-wing agitprop to continue not funding the border wall. I bet you all these people voted illegally at least a dozen times each in midterm election which is why the GOP was wiped out in California.

You and Nancy Pelosi may like the idea of murderers and rapists and drug mules with calves the size of cantaloupes from hauling bales of marijuana across the unprotected US border, hiding out on American family farms until they can sneak away and commit more rapes and murders, but I find this lefty nonsense disgusting.

America needs a big beautiful 30 meter high concrete see through wall NOW to stop this continual horror show and Mexico will be paying for it – trust me. It will be big, beautiful, inexpensive and Mexico will definately be paying for it.

Well it started with listening to people like Bill Whittle. Right wing tea bagger, he believes in the totally unproven pseudo-science claim that IQ scores, race, and crime are linked. This charming man is quite happy to accept the argument that one can classify certain races as genetically inferior on the basis of IQ scores. All discredited ‘theories’ and thinly disguised racist claptrap.

American have become stupid thanks to listening to and elevating people like this as experts on why American society in is decline.

To the people, presumably all men, who disliked my reaction to #1. Thanny’s juvenile reaction to women breast-feeding in public spaces – some basic questions.

Why it is such a challenge for you to respect a woman is right to feed her child with some modicum of dignity and respect? She is feeding her child, not presenting herself in any sexualized fashion – so why do you feel compelled to see it as such? And to suggest that your puerile impulse is a) uncontrollable and b) basically your right is really sad. Doesn’t she have any rights to be free from your leering and unwanted attention? She has to alter her behaviour to feel safe and unviolated because you cannot control yours. That is pathetic.

How would you feel if such unwanted attention was directed at your spouse, your daughter, sister or mother? I imagine you would get angry if Thanny or Thanny and his mates leered at their breasts – so why is it ok to ogle random breast-feeding mothers? Again – breast feeding is not a sexual act for arousal or enticement, why do you have to see it as such? I imagine you will all claim to respect women, but when push comes to shove the naked breast wins out. Screw the consequences for the mother and child.

It amazes me that grown men cannot differentiate between breast-feeding and other situation. Your lack of respect for mother and their children is both stunning and depressing.

#1. Thanny ‘I say go right ahead. But you forfeit your right to complain about people staring’.

Or you could grow the feck up and realize that a mother breast-feeding is taking care of her baby’s most basic needs, she is not presenting herself as an object to be sexualized, to NOT gawk and stare like a randy teenage boy how has never seen a breast before, and to allow her to feed her totally dependent and hungry child in peace.

Why cant you show a little respect, dignity and maturity in such situations? If you have ever cared for an infant, you know that it requires attention. The last thing women want or need is some leering idiot staring at her and her child. You are arguing that your desire for visceral sexual pleasure takes precedence over the mother's physical and psychological discomfort of having a body part objectified while she is attending to her baby. How is that right? Answer - it isn't.

What give you the right to add that level of stress, discomfort and anxiety on her and her child? You are immature but also a selfish a-hole for intruding on an important feeding and bonding ritual. One that has taken place from time immoral and in many countries goes by unnoticed – as it should.

She is feeding a child not presenting herself to feed your impulsive immature unwanted sexualized fantasy. You want that then go to a strip club. I find is amazing that a 40 year old man cant see that. And more disgraceful that you blame the mother! Your lack of self control and sexual immaturity is her problem? Interesting.

And before you say ‘then don’t do it in public’ consider a) your lack of maturity and respect for mothers; b) the fact that finding discrete places is time consuming and often impossible; and c) often an infant needs to suckle at a moment’s notice or the breast needs to be emptied (I imagine you also find a milk stained shirt also erection worthy?) before it leaks or to reduce discomfort. Why cant you show some respect for women who are mothers – their life is hard enough without some gawking a-hole making a required routine even more challenging.

Honestly, grow the feck up #1. Thanny. You want to look at breasts? That is what the internets for. Leave mothers with newborns / infants alone.

Americans love to champion women and children and privilege those who have kids but then can’t seem to give them the basic respect and support and dignity they deserve after the child has arrived and needs to be fed.

#8. Snotraddict. I want to remain polite but you demonstrate such raw ignorance or at least a propensity to repeat talking points uncritically that I simply cant.

>OK, you don't like Venezuela so how about N. Korea, working well there?

Hand head slap. Also not a socialist country. In fact, by name, Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. But that is beside the point. You really have no idea what you are talking about do you. Point to Sweden if you want to have an honest discussion but you clearly don’t.

Again – you need to differentiate between autocratic leaders that claim to be socialist and those who actually try to practice the principles. Two very different things but don’t let your world view and prejudice get in the way.

>"Especially as an America Firster yourself." You make that sound dirty.

Yes, because it is. That is f-ing ethno-nationalism pure and simple and any attempt to pretty it up is a lie. Look it up. Clearly you have no idea of what you are in bed with.

>"... Drumpf is a republican"

He was elected on the GOP ticket and is the titular head of the party. I have no idea WTF you are talking about or why you are distancing yourself from him. He is your boy.

IMHO is internet slang the kids use – don’t take it so literally.

"...are in it largely for personal self enrichment..." Most if not all folks that are in power enrich themselves.

So that makes it right or acceptable? Again, your flailing for a reply is a fail. I have no idea what your point is other then you attempting, and failing, to make a coherent point. The 'everyone in power' does it argument is not true. Bernie? Are you kidding me? Really? That is a desperate reach. I assume you are talking about his wife - again, pathetic by extension failing argument.

LOL. Next time ???? And apologies for the offense by non-inclusion – it was not intentional.

>‘I guess you missed the double-crossing part of those "bundles of adorably diversified cuties".

Oh those little scamps… I am sure you can appreciate the nationalism expressed as Kiwi pride no?
Especially as an America Firster yourself.

>Socialism- yea how's that working for Venezuela.

The problems in Venezuela have very little to do with socialism actually and everything to do with rampant corruption, graft, nepotism and using the power of the govt for self-enrichment. Venezuela has had a series of governments lead by kleptocratic thieves who have looted their oil resources for personal gain and power. A socialist economic model has had little do with their problems. In fact, any empirical analysis shows that it never really got off the ground. It has always been corruption and rot at the top. Any comprehensive economic analysis reveals that. Blaming socialism is an ideological opportunistic misdirect that works for Fox news viewers but it simply isnt accurate. Hugo Chavez may have been the only one on board with socialism as a good way to brand his takeover. It made for good PR, but as soon as his admin got a taste of the petro- dollars, as in day 2 of his admin, it essentially became a mafia run country and they drove it and its people into the ground. Crime and self-interest and good old fashioned greed and a lust for power made Venezuela the mess it is today – not socialism. Socialism was a feel good anti Yankee cover story. He was as autocratic as the next dictator.

Chavez was a socialist as much a Drumpf is a republican. Both (and the people they appoint to help them) are in it largely for personal self enrichment and reward. Little to do with actual conservative or socialist principles IMHO

I am just following the lead of sux2bu and sunnydaze4me by explaining things exactly as they really are and I am telling like it is, like it or not. I simply observed that if Nomaddaf was uncomfortable with the little dancing white child in the ‘This kid has all the moves’ video – then this maudlin Air New Zealand PC full colour spectrum multiple kids vid was most likely going to really get his panties in a twist.

Holy hell, I just realised that this video is going to drive nomaddaf insane. It has everything he hates. Black, white, Asian, Polynesian etc children playing together, problem solving as a group towards a goal that rewards all regardless of level / degree contribution, and the hero is a national airline from an anti-nuke basically socialist country (i.e a fully funded public health care system that covers everybody).

Worst of all it is SAD seeing a little white child collaborate with others as if it were 7 -10 million years ago [in Africa] (roughly the time of the split between Homo (human) and Pan (chimpanzee) genera of Hominini). * Oh no, just made cobra2001 angry as well. Damn

And name call me all you like. Let me know when you prove this untrue.

#11. Kenuty ‘you just ignore them instead of fueling them they will die lonely’

I can understand your strategy. And if that is how you wish to deal with such people – fair enough.

Obviously, I disagree with your conclusion that there ‘is no point’.

I personally feel that as modern societies we turned a blind eye for far too long to acts of prejudice, bigotry, racism, sexism, misogyny etc and by not calling people out on such behaviours we have in a sense permitted it to continue. Silence or choosing to ignore is an enabling act IMHO.

Yes racism will always be part our societies but that doesn’t mean we have to accept it or tolerate it. I am at a stage in my life where I chose to call it out.

Good example. Look at the American Neo-Nazi’s post Charlottesville march. Many were identified via social media and their views were made known in their own social and work environments. And for many there were consequences. Good. If you want to be hateful and hold feckhead views of others because of race, creed, ethnicity, religions etc then you need to be prepared for the consequences. Shunning to unemployment – let the free market and your friends and neighbours decide

#8. Kenuty respectfully, what is sad is your bizarre efforts to create some sort of equivalency between # 4. Nomaddaf’s quite frankly disgusting miscegenistic comments regarding a white child unintentionally incorporating African dance rhythms and other people calling Nomaddaf out on his shockingly racist reaction to a very amusing and innocent video - of a child happily dancing with his friends.

The fact that you cannot see that, refuse to either see that, or perhaps even agree with # 4. Nomaddaf’s beliefs and values (and do not have the courage to say it openly) is sad.

If you agree with # 4. Nomaddaf’s evaluation that the child’s dance moves are sad then sack up and say it. Do not hide behind a lame and disingenuous false equivalency.

This is Nomaddaf’s doing – don’t start blaming others for calling him out on his racist crap. He went there, and people have rightfully reacted with disgust.

#4. Nomaddaf You really are thick if you cannot see why your comment is primitive and insulting. I have to wonder if your ignorance is naturally occurring, deliberate, an ad hoc compensation strategy, or part of your continued weak effort to troll.

Nothing is off the table yet.

Can you not see the problem with your basic presupposition?

Moreover, you have only made your ethnocentrism and idiocy that much more transparent by including the links to the videos. I imagine you thought they were somehow exculpatory..

Our favourite subject? You mean using science, empiricism, evidence, hypothesis, testing, falsifiability providing theories to explain things?? And then to hypothesize and extrapolate from what we know to potentialities? And with a delightful dose of humour? In the words of a great and treasured and well respected America intellectual ‘you betcha’!!

Sigh #19. sunnydaze4me. Really? So #11. sux2bu is some sort of truth teller with Tourette’s? He just cant help but insulting people because he must ‘tell it like it is’ ? That is just silly on so many levels.

What ever happened to the very simple adage ‘Just because you can doesn’t mean you should’?

‘Telling it like it is’ is such a cop out and weak way to condone bullying and trolling.

Hi Geekster. No worries I am quite chill even when Suxy drops any pretence and unloads on me in a nasty tantrum. ‘A boring prick’? Charming.

Suxy, once again your uncivil language personal attacks make my point. You have largely been reduced to personal attacks and angry rants and that almost certainly drives people away. You and others of your alt-ilk were passively permitted to basically bully others for far too long – so at a point I chose to do what everyone should do to an insecure bully – call him/her out. And respectfully ask that they stop and ideally reflect on how their words are affecting others and creating an undesirable environment.

Yes, the part of the thrill you receive with your posts is denigrating others, so this is an uphill task, it seems to be who and what you are, but if you are going to be part of community is it too much to ask that you show a modicum of respect for others? Even those who you violently disagree with? Isn’t that what your religion would tell you to do – being a good Christian and all.

I don’t agree with some on a number of issues, and I can throw rhetorical elbows like the next person, but at the end of the day I will almost always treat them in a civil and respectful way. I only castigate people when they attack others and not their ideas.

Suxy, your approach is almost always the primitive personal attack. You like to denigrate people. This is clearly your thing now. You may have your 5 up voting supporters but you are a self-limiting group. A little cult of alt-personality which was to be expected.

Why cant you be more civil to others? Is that so hard for you to imagine and try and practice?
It is not a repulsive or impossible request for the rest of us.

#9. sux2bu why must every comment you post be sneering and denigrating?

You really come off as an unpleasant person.

And what is your obsession with that 10 year old vid? Who cares?

(Allow me to self-plagiarize because the site was buggy for a few days)

Traffic to this site has decline in the past decade for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is people’s choices in terms of social media and places to post has increased exponentially. As a result, Snotr’s community has declined. No one will ever reach those number of comments again. Such is life. But more importantly even with the reduced traffic there are interesting people on this site, some I disagree with on many issues, but I always try to treat them with respect and civility. I just wish you could do the same and end your predictable ad hominem attacks. Try to productively contribute for once – your frequently grumpy insult shtick is predictable, trite and increasingly lame.

LOL #4. sux2bu . I forgot about your almost presidential level of impetuousness, impulsivity, immaturity, doggedness and of course lack of appreciation or understanding of irony. You have just become what you in fact just decried Sigh.

Suxy, traffic to this site has decline in the past decade for a myriad of reasons, not least of which is people’s choices in terms of social media and places to post has increased exponentially. As a result, Snotr’s community has declined. Such is life. Tossing your pointed opinions in on occasion under the guise of a truth bomb is not helpful, collegial, or doing anything to remedy the issue that you raised in #2. There are interesting people on this site, some I disagree with on many issues, but I always try to treat them with respect and civility. I just wish you could do the same and end your disingenuousness ad hominem attacks. Try to productively contribute for once - your occasional grumpy insult schtick is getting old.

#2 sux2bu 'if the same three or four people continue to keep mindlessly commenting on it.'

Ahh... there is the pointless dig that we've been missing. Good to see that you are staying classy Suxy! Who wouldn’t want to comment when their reward is being potentially treated to your sunny infectious disposition along with your always collegial comments, observations and opinions?

5:06 ‘It is a relatively pristine environment thanks to the absence of humans’.

Key word relatively.

Plastic Bag Found at the Bottom of World's Deepest Ocean Trench: Even one of the most remote places on Earth couldn't hide from the scourge of plastic trash.

A recent study revealed that a plastic bag, like the kind given away at grocery stores, is now the deepest known piece of plastic trash, found at a depth of 36,000 feet inside the Mariana Trench. Scientists found it by looking through the Deep-Sea Debris Database, a collection of photos and videos taken from 5,010 dives over the past 30 years that was recently made public.

Of the classifiable debris logged in the database, plastic was the most prevalent, and plastic bags in particular made up the greatest source of plastic trash. Other debris came from material like rubber, metal, wood, and cloth, and some is yet to be classified.

#4. Dennis53 Your argument is nothing more than a weak and lazy non sequitur. It honestly says more about you and your inability to formulate a decent argument than it does the question at hand - do the potential costs and risks of a high speed police car chase justify the dangers it imposes upon bystanders?

You baselessly infer that #6. ComentAtor hates authorities when in fact one can only fairly conclude that he doesn’t think the costs justify the risks. That is a reasonable argument no? Rebut that and leave the silly hypotheticals and personal digs out. That isnt helpful.

And perhaps you could try to think outside of your egocentric selfish bubble. Even if the killer of someone’s child was making a get-away in a car it still doesn’t justify the increase of danger to the public caused by a Hollywood style car chase IMHO. The police’s greatest weapons are the radio and aerial surveillance. And the roadblock. And the spike strips designed to puncture tyres. No need to go all hot pursuit. That just exponentially increases the risks for everyone. And if your your child in the sceanrio is dead why potentially harm more people when trying to capture the suspects? Or kill someone else’s child in the process? High speed pursuits IMHO are really not the best course of action now with modern technology allowing for passive tracking and take down in a more controlled and safer context.

And besides the best car chases always end in a hail of bullets and an explosion - if I can complete your vengence fantasy. If you cant go big and boom and unload a clip or two at the perps - best go home no?

Ha ha ha ha ha ha ha hahahahahahaha They really said that without a laugh-track?

Please. Humans are just lucky fools up to this stage in our evolution. We are well on our way to fecking up the planet for future generations. Case and point. Global warming sceptics. Clearly fools run amongst us and lead our governments.

#12. snotraddict ‘ If they were Mormon I suspect everyone would be piling on.’

With all due respect, yes, and rightfully so because this practice is neither accepted or practiced by today’s Mormon Church. Your 2018 Mormon would probably join in the denunciation. The only group that still practices plural marriage, as they call it, is an off-shoot Mormon cult called Fundamentalist Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints. And these people are really cultists in every scary way.

Mormons, like any organised religion, are definitely open to critique and criticism for their practices and institutional belief system … much like many other religions. But that is another matter.

#12. Snotraddict. ‘In some regards Islam should be bashed.’

I don’t like the term bashed. How about taken to task? Critiqued? Subject to a robust discussion? Held to account? Bashing is just so primitive. And let’s include Catholicism, Judaism and all the major religions to the same degree of scrutiny. With religion it is always just a matter of degree of submission and obedience and sacrifice (for some) in the here and now for some promise of a future reward.

#12. Snotraddict. ‘yet you want to pat yourself on the back when it's refrained against Islam’

What? I was patting everyone else on the back. We agree for once and you still cant resist taking a shot. Sigh

[multiple wives, the niqab (which is worn by a small majority of Muslim women by the way), the black abaya (an Arab Gulf state thing, they don't have to be black] do challenge Western cultural practices and values. As well as my own.

#12. Snotraddict ‘Given the choice I don't think women would choose to live that way.’

You just hit on the key word, choice. FWIW, You may be surprised at the number of Muslim women who do like to wear the far less encumbering? hijab as part of their Muslim cultural identity. They chose to wear it in Western states and that is something I can appreciate. Choice and free will are complicated concepts especially when it comes to religion and religious practices. It is far easier in theory than it is in practice to give up or eschew or denounce them in many parts and cultures of the world.

First, #33. ComentAtor 'it's not so easy to crop videos and post them to snotr'

Use VLC media player. Free and open source . Very simple to crop vids. Just play and re-record the sections you want. It is really easy to do.

Secondly, I think this is the first time that we may have a relatively unanimous opinion on a subject! And this is with #7. nomaddaf and #4. Kenuty weighing in. ;-) I don’t think we have ever seen eye to eye on a topic. This is kind of amazing! Who would have thunk it would be on the topic of polygamy.

Few creatures mate for life, lifetime monogamy is rare enough and a challenge – just look at divorce rates in the world. Polygamy is psychologically challenging and often, and not unexpectedly leads to favouritism and jealousy – as one would expect. And it of course is only available to men.

I am also happy FWIW that no one decided to bash Islam. The Qur'an permits men to have more than one wife but does not demand it or require it. It is a primitive practice, one also described in the Bible. Sadly in 2018, it is an option that men have in some parts of the world and one that women are often, by circumstances, basically forced into. And it is depressing that there are still societies where such arrangements are the only really options open to women to get out from under their family’s control – by moving into another man’s control. Cool!

Tick tock #3. ravishi …. You made an assertion 2 days ago and unfortunately did not provide any supporting examples.

#3. Ravishi ‘there are gruesome hidden facts behind many figures from the 'elite'. Just an opinion...’

I then asked 1 day ago for you to elaborate and then crickets. Radio silence. This is a smidge disappointing. If you are going to go bold and say not all conspiracy theories are without merit, and use the language of the aggrieved insulted party (‘from the elite’ is good standard alt code and suggests a particular disposition – which is fine BTW) then don’t you have the obligation to help us, the other victims, become enlightened and aware??

Please share what you know. How else are we going to challenge the elites? You can’t just shout that potentially bad and sinister things are afoot and then clam up. You are just enabling the valid conspiracies and conspirators with your continued silence. Share! Woke us with some truth bombs brother. We await your message. I hope you have the courage to finish what you started.

The funniest thing about the homoerotic fantasy that you have constructed is that it has to be driving 2001Cobra nuts. He is an Evangelical Christian from the heart of Texas so suggesting or implying anything queer about him or his lifestyle can’t go over well.

I wonder what he actually thinks about homosexuals and homosexuality. I have to imagine that he isn’t terribly tolerant if he is going by His book, Given that he no longer replies to my questions – perhaps you could ask him JJ? You know, the next time you two get into it via Snotr posts.

# 27. Judge-Jake – what now??
> I didn't even have time to put the e at the end of the word Honor to please you Americans, Honor is the correct spelling in English.

Yes, the -e at the end aside, 'honor' it is the recognized American and Canadian spelling of the word… where are you going with this?

>Sadly the US of A bastardise our language and in my opinion shouldn't be allowed to use it at all.

But you just use used the American spelling!! The Anglicized form of the word is ‘honour’ ...and what is your complaint again? I need a drink....

>You also put Z where there should be an S but that's another matter.

Well i dont but yes, the –ize as a variant of –ise, now that the proper British spelling. I am with you on that. Stupid Yank lexicographer Daniel Webster…

Now on to more important matters.

>the threesome which Snaky and I have shared

It started as a threesome, agreed, but over time it became very apparent that I was becoming a 3rd wheel. You and Snakey found a groove and took things to the next level and I was increasingly left out. In fact, on the fossil thread Master 2001Kobra, gradually just ignored me and only responded to your questions. Was I jealous? Of course. Heartbroken? Indeed. But I know when the better man has won out and the heart platonically wants what the heart platonically wants, so I did the only honourable (with a -u) thing and stepped aside. Aint no room in a heterosexual softcore dyadic relationship for 3 people. And I am happy for the two of you – your discussions have been great fun to read.

FYI - Bible words counts BTW – there are apps and web sites for that ;-) One has to hand it to the God squad, they have developed a massive number of resources to help their promotional and recruitment campaigns.

And the Westboro cultists. I watched Louis Theroux’s documentary on those charming people. What a lovely hated filled bunch of extremists.

#25. Judge-Jake. Honour. Now this IS a word mentioned in the bible. Honour is mentioned at least 145 times and it features prominently in 48 verses. It is therefore a legitimate concept and thus I believe in it. Along with your wiliness to defend it given the loss of face that you will suffer, if you don’t, with your bro-friend 2001Cobra. Things have clearly changed now that you are in a platonic gender symmetric on-line dyadic discourse relationship. I will tread carefully from this point forward.

#22. captain_obvious 'the same ...damned discussion with every ...damned video with religion'

I blame Judge-Jake. He clearly has a non-sexual man crush on 2001Cobra and and we are all being treated to the unfolding bromance between them. Evolution videos, dead sea scroll vids... JJ is just laying out treats to attract 2001Cobra's attention so that they can continue thier dialogic dance on the question of He exists. I think it is kind of charming myself.

#16. ringmaster [a heavy political and religious discussion. Which I don't bother to engage in]

Fair enough. But it would still be good to hear your opinion and perspective. You know that others will disagree, ok, but why not use this as an opportunity to push yourself and state and defend your beliefs? Worst case, someone calls you a pillock or a twat. Nothing you can’t absorb and push back on.

Join the discussion. Please. More opinions and perspectives the better IMHO. So I may disagree with you. That in itself is a learning process for both of us. Look at 2001Cobra. He holds his head up high and gives as much as he takes. Good on him IMHO. We will never agree but it doesnt stop me from respecting his courage to engage and try to enlighten (and convert) those who are sinners and non-believers. (he is double dipping btw, putting up with the ignorent masses increases his chits with Him come judgement time - win win and a useful win)

#12. Judge-Jake. I will surrender to the Parsnip for now but I still believe to each their own veggie that looks like a thingy.

However, ‘making the dangerous assumption that god isn't an avid reader of Snotr comments! Etc. etc.’

How can I, a mere human, and one of His creation, tell Him something that he does not already know?

I am merely suggesting that a well known and heavily utilized, backdoor to the Pearly Gates does exist and given that it is such a well-known trope in the world of organized religion that He has to be aware of it and He almost certainly permits it. Are you suggesting that anything can be hidden from Him? Or He can be deceived? It goes against everything 2001Cobra-kai has taught us, And Master Cobra believes in.

If I am in deep shite, it is only because I have revealed a known known. He apparently allows this to happen.

Don’t hate the player #12 JJ, hate the game. And the people and institutions He allows to organize and run the game

#3. Judge-Jake ‘#2 Austin you are such a creep, there is no back door to heaven you know’

Au contraire mon ami. You are forgetting the Evangelicals greatest power – forgiveness.

All I have to do is publicly state, a bit of blubbering and a downcast wife by one’s side helps, that I have found the Lord Jebus Christ and that I have been born again. Utter a few evangelical bromides, eliptically mention sinning, repeatedly talk about how important Christ is to me, how important my faith is to me, my family and children, and if I am a white man with money and in a position of power – all will be forgiven and the door to heaven will be in reach. Then all I have to do is keep my future sinning on the down low, hook up with a known pastor to vouch for my conversion and rebirth (a good-sized donation helps this process) and all is forgiven. Slate cleaned.

There are countless back doors to heaven. You just need to know the right people, say the right words, grease the right palms, appear in the right places (all about image), look and pretend to be contrite, and you back in His graces. That is the genius of the religious grift. The back door to heaven is always accessible – for a price. That is what has kept organized religion in business for all of these centuries – the fear of hell and they possess the remedy. It is one of the oldest grifts known to man. Fear and forgiveness.

#4. thundersnow 'Shame on it! A lying bible museum!' Exactly Thunders. Talk about redundant! And it does beg the question... is there any other kind??

#118. 2001cobra – you must stop with these logical paradoxes and fallacious statements. You are the master of circular reasoning.

> If God knows you lack in faith and of him, again he lets you see very little if at all. But if ones does have this faith, then much will be opened up to him from God.

Well isn’t that convenient! You have to believe to have more revealed. You would think that He would be more proactive and not such a tease. It is just like Scientology but easier on the wallet.

>And God does have a very clear and loving plan for all humans that love him and want to learn.

So again, it requires drinking the Kool-Aid first. Kind of insecure for an all mightily powerful entity. The preconditions, must love him and be willing to learn, I must show love first? That is a serious requirement. I need a drink and a cuddle before I consider love. Very demanding for an all-powerful entity.

>Finally how do you know if god is answering prayers or not? Perhaps for all that died today, perhaps many thousands of others didn't because of their prayers to god.

So, the answer is – you don’t know. You are using absence of evidence as evidence. Sorry, as you call it, faith. What could go wrong with that??? No wonder you and your peers have been so suitable to charlatans and con men as leaders of your flocks. You will believe anything as long as it is packaged and worded properly.

Ms Thunders, given your blasphemous assertion that some women could in fact be angels, which is in direct contraction to His words and wishes as expressed in His book, ergo blasphemy, Master 2001Cobra and I just assume, given the stakes and the sin, that upon this situation coming to light that you would immediately apologize, repent and ask for forgiveness. That is what any person would do when discovered to be in contradiction to His word no? You clearly don’t want to suffer the consequences so (boils, pillar of salt, eternal damnation in the fiery pits of hell etc etc) so clearly you have apologized. And as the self-appointed God squad we therefore accept your apology on His behalf and will pray for your soul – again.

# 7. thundersnow '#6 Of course, women are no angels...with some exceptions of course'

Master Cobra-kai, I got this one.

Ms Thunders, your statement is both true and unfortunately false. There is no mention of female angels in the bible thus it is true that women 'are no angels' but false that there are some exceptions. Master 2001C and I do not accept any word or words, or implications or inferences drawn from said word or words, that are not contained in the Bible.

We accept your apology and thus trust that you have learned your lesson.

Electric toothbrush was just a random item that popped into my little sinful ferret brain.

I am concerned however that ‘electric toothbrush’ may have pushed 2001Cobra-kai too far – he has been quite silent since my last question. Perhaps electric toothbrushes are shunned in his Church? Seen as blasphemous or the instrument of the devil? Pious men and women don’t need such frivolous items… they just pray the plaque away.

#88. 2001cobra ‘#85 Lol. Still striking out buddy. I don't believe in the rapture. The word is not in the bible’

Fair enough Cobra-kai, however unlike you I have the courage to admit when I am in error.

Assuming that you believed in the rapture was always just an educated guess, you apparently being an American evangelical and all. From Texas. I was just playing the odds. BTW, another word apparently not in the bible – gambling.

So indulge me if you will. What do you mean by you don’t believe in X (in this case an event) ‘ if the word is not in the bible’. Can you expand on that? In what domains does this apply? The word gravity is not in the bible, but you obviously believe in that. Or butterfly. Or electric tooth brush. I am curious as to what contexts and domains does the bible guide your epistemic evaluations and judgements and your view of truth and or falsity in your world around you. How do you draw the boundaries between biblical mentioning and reference and objective reality? Aka the word around you.

#73 No the Bible writings were not from man but was authored by God. Man only pinned what God's spirit told them to write. But I'm sure you probably have little knowledge or understanding of that?

Well played Master 2001Cobra. Of course, this disrespectful mob will presumably come back with if God’s sprit told man what to write in the Bible and that is a true and accurate recording of His instructions, guidance and so on then what is the deal with Quran? The Prophet Muhammad also claims that God was speaking to him (via the archangel Gabriel) therefore those words, as presented in the Quran, are also God’s infallible words, instructions, guidance etc. This is quite the conundrum!

Both have a divine source. So, are both books then equally valid? How are we to understand that God apparently spoke to a number of men and in the case of the Bible and Quran gave at times conflicting information - with respect to each book and its followers? That doesn’t sound right because God would not make such a mistake, no? As I understand it you are either Team Allah or Team Jehovah / God and both have provisions that say that He who is mentioned in the book is the one true God . Which book then contains the real word of God? If the Bible is the true source, then what does that say about the Quran?

And now we have a proper reply to #51. cameramaster ‘WHIICH 'God' question’

And it reveals yet another ugly but not unexpected pattern of Evangelical Christians - religious arrogance and superiority and intollerence. Granted they point to their book to justify it but it is still indicative of their mind-set with respect to other Gods and religions.

#65. 2001cobra ‘But one truth I know like with the Egyptians, the Babylonians and most other high and mighty societies that scoffed at God and his people’

Ok. First Snakey that is not a truth. That was written in your book to explain the downfall of others who did not believe in your version of God and events. That is basic self-serving propaganda – not a truth.

The Egyptians, the Babylonians and other past societies had perfectly good Gods and religions. Your guy and the gang that wrote his book were clever enough to see that competition was bad, or at least threatening, so they made the first 4 commandments and a chunk of the Old Testament all about you must believe in our Guy, our Guy is the one true Guy, and horrible things will happen to you if you doubt or fails to believe in and follow our Guy. Classic campaign of fear and intimidation get and hold followers. Sh*t on other religions, call them false, point to past civilizations that had faded as evidence of your Guy’s superiority and righteousness.

Opportunities and clever yes. Good marketing campaign yes. Good way to keep the flock in line once you have them signed up for a lifetime membership – yes. Make the penalties for leaving scary as Hell. But none of this is a truth. This is a self-serving, self-justifying, propaganda campaign that uses rhetoric and claims as a powerful recruiting tool and way to promote its appeal to new customers. Jebus, over 1 billion+ customers served since 6bc. Still works to this day as evidence by your statements

The fact is your God and your fore-followers zeal to snap up market share has killed hundreds of millions of people, many indigenous with perfectly good Gods, in the name of proselyting and conversion. And the riches and power that comes with it. By all means fabricate evidence, make up a good origins story (#64. ComentAtor) etc but the righteousness and correctness and legitimacy of your God over others is hardly a truth. I have a feeling the Hindus, Muslims, Buddhists etc etc of the world would beg to differ. This kind of religious arrogance and superiority always amazes me coming from Evangelicals. You may talk a peaceful game but when push comes to shove you are just as primitive as your 6 century brothers. Thank goodness you can’t wantonly kill them in the name of your saviour anymore – not that we don’t find others ways of course.

#58. Thundersnow. That answer from #59. 2001cobra was absolutely predictable and to be expected. If Cobra-kai and his peers doesn’t believe in or accept evolution you really didn’t expect them to admit that God came from, aka evolved from, nothing do you?

The standard answer for most religions is that He (or They.. or in rare cases She) has always been and always will be. The Initial Singularity proposed in the Big Bang Theory is hard enough for people to wrap their heads around. Imagining that the universe is a cyclical loop of explosion, expansion contraction and explosion (an empiricist’s answer to ‘has always been and will always be&rsquo is heady stuff. Then the possibility of potential multiverses? Makes one’s head hurt.

So much simpler to point to a supreme being for many and leave it at that. It was gave early humankind comfort and what seemed to be a reasonable explanation and for some there is no need to question it. Religions have that effect on people.

#51. cameramaster ‘Umm...WHICH 'God' are we referring to by the way? ‘

LOL. And excellent point. We can be certain from past posts that it is definitely not ????‎ All?h. And I suspect it is also not Yahweh although our Christian Evangelical friends may let it slide due to its etymological importance. Elohim (the Father) from the Mormans - out. The litany of Gods in Hinduism and Sikhism? No way. way too foreign and brown. Norse, Greek and Romans gods? Nah. They had their 5 minutes of fame. Same with the Egyptians. Zoroastrians? Way to foreign and scary sounding. Aztec and Mayan gods? Same same with Zeus and Thor et al.

That just leaves Jehovah, the Lord, and his son (could be one in the same depending on your faith) . That is the one true God.

Anyone claiming anything else is clearly mistaken. 2001Cobra-kai will back me up on this. People may claim that there are other gods out there but we all know which one is real. And that is Jehovah. I honestly can’t see how anyone or why anyone would claim anything else? It is just logical. And written in our book so it has to be true.

Well I am happy to read that there are at least some alt-right conspiracy theories that are even too far out, to stupid, for even you to consider. But I suspect that you were on board or at least gave it some credence while Fox news blasted it over the airwaves. Be honest. Once it ran its course on Fox you moved on to the next alt-right smear de jour didn't you? Back to missing Clinton emails perhaps?

> I'm not sure I ever claimed to frequent alt right information sites, but that generalization is used by the left to shut down discussions.

I am reasonably confident that you have mentioned InfoWars as a source for you in the past and regardless, you do get your news from Fox and that is hardly any better. Their hosts often peddle the exact same stupidity verbatim taken from alt-sites and if they don’t themselves they frequently have guests from such alt-right sources that are allowed spew unbelievable rubbish without any pushback or questioning as to veracity or authenticity. And this is allowed because a majority of their programming is self-described as ‘entertainment’ and not journalism. That and proper television journalism is all but dead as a discipline.

And let’s go back to your earlier statement to highlight yet another trait – the gross oversimplification or generalization.

>paedophilia, [yet Hollywood and public schools continue to abuse children with impunity]

You are claiming ‘Hollywood and public schools’ writ large are culpable, entities with hundreds of thousands if not millions of individuals, but then proceed to correctly name INDIVIDUALS at these institutions.

Yes these are horrible people, yes they deserve to be punished, and yes they existed in bureaucracies or institutions or organizations that allowed their abuses to go either unchecked or ignored due to power, money, fear of liability etc. etc. We are in agreement on that. But these are the actions of people(s) and yet you throw out a blanket condemnation of the entire institutions. That is a lazy self-serving inaccurate argument – by design. You have an ideological dislike or hatred for presumably moral or ethical reasons for both so you smear by generalization – presumably because that feels good and comports with your world views. Again – that is a lazy and self-serving and inaccurate argument and hence I called you out on it. It isn’t true or accurate – just like not all catholic priests are guilty of sex crimes.

The end of your post is a lovely example of all of factors at play: grievance politics, white male Christian insecurity, and yet another poorly constructed and largely unsupported claims. Your thesis statement is strong but then your ideological passions and refusal (or inability?) to provide a coherent substantive argument again undermines things and turns what could be a strong position into yet another alt-right rant. You just can’t hide your true colours can you?

>"Every woman has the right to be believed...

Completely agree. Powerful and timely statement. Much to discuss.

And then you list off only Left / Democratic politicians and make a number of unsubstantiated or as of yet unproven charges – do you not see how this partisan approach and obvious inference just undermines your legitimacy? Powerful men on both sides of the political spectrum have unfortunately gotten away with sexual assault forever. It is disgusting and much more needs to be done but this is not a left of right issue. This is an issue of power and the immunity / impunity that it can confer on some members of our societies. It is disgraceful but transcends party affiliation. Pity you can’t step out of your Fox alt-right white male Christian bubble for just a second and present it as such but you had to make even this a partisan issue. Such a pity. And a missed opportunity.

#41. Judge-Jake. Almost everyone save Thunders tosses the rhetorical elbow from time to time so I hope you didn’t take my characterization of personal and impolite’ personally. I was not trying to call you out. I have dropped some feck bombs as well when things get heated … and that is all part of discourse IMHO. At the end of the day, as you say, it is just a tiny forum, no one is forced to read or stay, and if you cant take a little verbal sparring then you are, as our alt-righty buddies would say, a ‘snowflake’ and you may need to seek less threatening environments. But I hope people don’t bolt. That would be disappointing. Engage and debate and potentially expand your mind. I hate the drive by insults that some people like to unload on others. As I said earlier, credit where credit is due, 2001Cobra-Kai is a trooper for his persistence – pity his argument seems to be immune to evolution. Just repeating the same thing over and over again isn’t terribly convincing but it is still some degree of engagement which is more than I can say for others.

Should be try to be polite and respectful to others? Of course. Should we call out lies, spin, nonsense, crap, disinformation, disingenuous arguments, straw man arguments, and flimsy logic? You betcha!!

The oportunity to engage with others that I woudl never meet in m y daily life on this forum is what makes it an oddly enjoyable expereince.

#38. Snotraddict. I had almost forgotten how you like to play the grievance and false equivalency card in your posts.

What you deliberately fail to acknowledge is that 2001Cobra, much to his credit and very much UNLIKE you, is engaging with the Snotr community. Yes the rhetoric can get personal and impolite from some, people are passionate, but he is at least taking up the argument. Something you and your alt-ilk have consistently refused to do. So credit to Cobra-kai. Claiming intolerance and closed minded is just silly – it is called a debate. People have fundamental disagreements and have expressed them. Cobra-kai holds his own the best he can. Hardly mob rules when you take a minority opinion on a public forum. Unless of course you are predisposed to grievance and insecurity when your opinion and worldviews are not fully accepted as is.

> Austin has often remarked how he believes I've driven people from SNOTR with my comments

Yes you have. Your ignorant, insulting, hateful and at times flat out racist and xenophobic comments on topics such Islam, Muslims, immigrants, minorities, Trump, imperialism, inequality and white privilege have driven people away. That is a fact and out of respect for Geekster’s wishes – nuff said.

>paedophilia, [yet Hollywood and public schools continue to abuse children with impunity]

What? First, typical move. You make a ridiculous claim and a false equivalency with zero evidence or context. And then run away. This may be the current thought in your Evangelical Christian community but in its current form it is just a baseless and stupid charge. Sigh. Your modus operandi is really old at this point.

Secondly, to compare these institutions with the Catholic Church’s scandal is obviously a false equivalency on so many levels but you don’t care – you only like to throw bombs, but you never have the courage or the intellectual courage to back them up. If that is what your mega-church pastor said last Sunday, then you parrot it as being truthful. No thought or critical reflection or investigation - it is just truthful because it resonates and sounds truthful in my insular community.

And lastly, I am surprised given the alt-right sources of information that you claim to frequent and trust that you did not include Hillary Clinton and George Soros in your paedophilia accusations. After all if is a well-known fact in your world that she ran a paedophile ring out of the Comet Ping Pong pizza restaurant (aka #Pizzagate) in Washington DC. Now that is the real scandal. How was she not charged for this??

Infowars apologizes for role in spreading fake news that led to #Pizzagate

#25. ComentAtor The irony of course in your clear and well-structured reply regarding 2001 Master Cobra-kai’s repeated demand for ‘direct evidence’ is that he himself can’t provide any for the foundation of his position. Show me the evidence for evolution. Ok, show us the actual evidence for the existence of God. And not the standard ‘his majesty is all around us for us to behold’ or look at his book, or point to a miracle, or the fact that He has millions of followers etc etc. Where is your evidence Cobra? The Bible is a compilation of stories and only Matthew and John may have met him. So the bible is a lot of post hoc reconstruction. That is not convincing evidence if we follow Corbra’s logic. And please don’t argue that millions of people feel him or have experience him etc. That is also subjective and again fails your evidentiary proof test.

The fact is Cobra’s position is predicated and based entirely upon belief. He will try to claim tangible evidence, but it will not stand up to the criteria that he repeatedly lays out ad nauseum with respect to evolution. Cobra just knows that He exists and has always existed. It is a clear double standard that he will deny and ignore. The fact is all religions are predicated on belief and implicational evidence and events / conditions / situation that are argued to indexically or iconically support the existence of God but in the end it always come down to a matter of belief. It is the double standard and argument that Cobra et al rely on. And it is the same one in which empiricism, rationalism and the scientific method etc were founded on as a response to and have thrived on.

#22. 2001cobra you appear to have just quoted and questioned yourself…

‘#11 Is it not possible for you to not twist the simple question I asked or just clearly divert? Etc etc ’

The record shows #11. 2001cobra commented 12 hours ago…

I will err on the side of compassion and infer that your meds have either worn off or you have forgotten to take them. Either way, you are now essentially ranting in the mirror at yourself which is not a healthy sign. I would suggest that you seek medical attention immediately.

Or consult a priest because you may need an exorcism.

I understand that all of this evidence may be upending your world view and that can be traumatic. I would strongly suggest that you remove any sharp objects from your pockets, move any liturgical items a safe distance away (preferably to another room), put down a tarp, and pull up a copy of Richard Dawkins 2006 The God Delusion or Christopher Hitchens 2008 God Is Not Great. I will not sugar coat this, you are in for a rough night, but come morning if you stick with it all will be much clearer and better. And make evidentiary and logical sense. I promise.

#4. seldomseen77 ‘Amen brothers. Now let's get back to molesting boys shall we.’

Sir, while your post has been roundly condemned, and this is not a germane issue for Brother Iscariot, Brother ComentAtor or me, I think we can all be assured that the Catholic Church under Pope Francis is taking the issue of sexual assault and molestation in the Church by his employees seriously as well as identifying the source of the problem. I present the following article, which for the record, was in fact written this week – that is in the 21st century.

I for one am quite relieved to read that the true perpetrator has been identified. Resolution and healing is clearly close at hand.

Pope Francis blames the DEVIL for Catholic Church’s sexual abuse crisis — and even enlists the aid of an angel

By Reuters - Updated: 18:02 BST, 8 October 2018

The devil is alive and well and working overtime to undermine the Roman Catholic Church, according to Pope Francis.

He said that Satan is to blame for the sexual abuse crisis and has asked Catholics around the world to recite a special prayer every day in October to try to beat him back.

‘(The Church must be) saved from the attacks of the malign one, the great accuser and at the same time be made ever more aware of its guilt, its mistakes, and abuses committed in the present and the past,’ Francis said in a message on September 29.

Since he was elected in 2013, Francis has made clear that he believes the devil to be real. In a document in April on holiness in the modern world, Francis mentioned the devil more than a dozen times.

‘We should not think of the devil as a myth, a representation, a symbol, a figure of speech or an idea. This mistake would lead us to let down our guard, to grow careless and end up more vulnerable,’ he wrote in the document.

The Church has recently been hit by one sexual abuse scandal after another, from Germany, to the United States, to Chile. At the same time, a deepening polarisation between conservatives and liberals in the Church has played out on social media.

Francis is so convinced that Satan is ultimately to blame for both the sexual abuse scandals and the divisions within the Church that he has enlisted the aid of St Michael the Archangel. Michael is mentioned several times in the Bible as the leader of the angels who ousted Lucifer, the fallen angel, from paradise.
[ ]
Catholics are being asked to recite the rosary daily in October and conclude it with a prayer to St Michael that was said after Mass until 1964 but then fell into disuse.

The prayer reads: ‘St. Michael the Archangel, defend us in battle. Be our defence against the wickedness and snares of the devil. May God rebuke him, we humbly pray, and do thou, O Prince of heavenly hosts, by the power of God, thrust into hell Satan, and all evil spirits, who prowl about the world seeking the ruin of souls.’

The sheer about of questions they pose, the use of modals like ‘may have’ or outright blatant confessions of not having any clue ‘Scientists aren't sure’ clearly demonstrates that modern science has NO idea what it is doing and thus does not provide any legitimate or substantive answers to known unknowns. This is a clear farce. He has placed questions and mysteries beyond or intellectual and conceptual grasp for a reason and who are we to challenge Him for answers? We follow His wisdom, not question or challenge it, and that is the way it has been written and the way He wants it to be.

On behalf of Master 2001Cobra-kai, please allow me, the Enlightened Grasshopper Austin the Enlightened to properly address this heresy and this pesky heretic "scientist" the most effective way possible.

A witness to lies will not go unpunished; the teller of falsehoods will not escape. (Proverbs 19:5)

Game, set, match, eternal salvation for us and pits of hellfire for that Devil-Dawkins. Next video please, this is too easy. Your lies are no match for our book. We can spit devistatingly effective scripture 24/7 365/6000. Once you accept that there are questions whose answers lie beyond our limited human knowledge, and this is all part of His design and wisdom, life gets so much easier.

First, I am just impressed as hell that #5 JJ was able to recite all of that Genesis based text from memory.

As Christopher Hitchens pointed out, there is a reason why children are indoctrinated into their parents or family’s religions at such an early age and usually not given a choice in the matter. They are thus conditioned to accept it and its message, and they are impressionable sponges. JJ pulled all of that from presumably many Sundays of teachings… wow!

I may have an idea what to look for because I do read but I could never present it with such specificity. The google machine is very helpful in that regard.

As for Pastafarianism #6. ComentAtor I must confess … I fell for the branding or the logo. One day I saw His Noodly image on the back of a car and did a double take. Much like when I saw my first Darwin Fish car plaque. Curious I investigated. Given the brilliant origins story, I was a convert. And now that people have successfully sued in some countries to wear colanders in legal photos .. oh f*ck me, this is worth supporting.

I love the legal battles over what constitutes a legitimate religion and what doesn’t. That is a question worth debating IMHO.

#1 ComentAtor It seems that #2 JJ got a jump on how Cobra-kai and Austin the Enlightened would answer such a question. All of the answers are clearly in the book of Genesis. Thank you JJ for showing us the truth.

That said, if you are curious as to what #1 ComentAtor (aka the Apostate with a prostate) believes in… well you are in for a treat. He is a confessed Pastafarian. Just look at this nonsense and then tell Master Cobra-kai and me that our Genesis creation story, as told by Him in His book, isn’t far more convincing, honest and realistic. And plausible. Case closed and we accept your apology.

Creation of the World according to Pastafarianism. The Five Days Creation!

On the first day, the Flying Spaghetti Monster separated the water from the heavens. On the second -- because He could not tread water for long and had grown tired of flying -- He created the land and complemented it with a Beer Volcano. Satisfied, the Flying Spaghetti Monster overindulged in beer from the Beer Volcano and woke up hungover. Between drunken nights and clumsy afternoons, the Flying Spaghetti Monster produced seas and land (for a second time, because He forgot that He created it the day before) along with Heaven and a midget, which He named Man. Man and an equally short woman lived happily in the Olive Garden of Eden for some time until the Flying Spaghetti Monster caused a global flood in a cooking accident. (While emptying His Holy Pasta Pot of water, He did not pay attention to where this water was going.)

Timeline

1/1/5000BFSM- The first day appears. The FSM creates large balls of flaming gas, which accidentally leak water, creating seas. It was pretty weird for the stars to be immersed in the ocean, so the FSM separated them and created vast galaxies and cosmic stuff.

1/2/5000BFSM- The second day appears. The FSM creates filment, which He renames "Land", since "filment-ho!" didn't sound as good as "land-ho!" The FSM creates a volcano that releases beverages and decides to keep it in heaven near the stars instead of the land.

1/3/5000BFSM- Somewhere in the Indian Ocean, the FSM was hungover, and forgot what He had created the previous day, so He renamed the land "Earth." Then He grew lush jungles of rice, grass, semolina and ferns.

1/4/5000BFSM- The FSM created more stars including the sun and moon.

1/5/5000BFSM- The Big Bang happened and a tree and mountains and midget were created. It is important to note that the FSM later doubted the wisdom of creating said midget.

Aftermath
Creation clearly produced mixed results. In other religions, this is ascribed to the Creator God(s) being temperamental, having unclear goals, or being just not very good at this sort of thing. In Pastafarianism, the FSM's theodicy is a simple consideration of which parts of the universe were created when the FSM was hungover, bleary, day-drinking, drunk, binge drinking, or blackout drunk. The FSM's blackouts and drunken fumbling do not actually diminish His omniscience and omnipotence; the resolution of this apparent paradox is obvious, although only in states of appropriately advanced intoxication. In short: He was drunk, and so sometimes you need to be too.

You are an utterly predicable and a dreadful bore. And by simply quoting gospel and not expressing any genuine or original thoughts of your own you have demonstrated that you have nothing left to contribute and thus your capitulation, while always immanent, is now complete.

On behalf of the Snotr community we accept your surrender and consider this thread closed

#46. 2001cobra-kai [you may claim] ‘to love true science’ but you don’t understand, accept, or trust it. And therein lies the root of the problem
You don’t accept science and its discoveries preferring to believe in and turn to God for answers.

And that is your right but please don’t try to slide such a vacuous and empty statement by as if it is a legitimate counter argument because it isn’t. [I love true science]. Please. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. You just don't. Just read the posts in this and other threads. Your willful ignorence and delusion is ... remarkable but not unexpected. You can't conceptually handle any other truth than the existence of God. And that leads you down the dead end ally where you currently find yourself. Unwilling, and if you accept the directives in His book, unable and forbidden to question His existence under all kinds of horrible pains. You would think that an all-powerful and omnipotent God would have more confidence in himself and his believers to stick with him but that is another matter.

Anyway, you may feel content knowing that there are questions that, at present, seem unresolvable or unanswerable but thankfully as a species we have moved beyond that and use curiosity and inquiry and investigation to make our lives better.

Given your expressed positions, your passivity is to be expected. As is your surrender and acquiescence and obedience and servitude to a higher power and authority. Because that is what worship is all about. You are willingly subordinating yourself to an entity and a force that you can’t claim to understand but accept that is it greater then you are. And it guides your life and destiny. And makes demands for some final reward that YOU can't prove exists. Pointing to His book doesnt count, I want video evidence. That is the threshold that you set for evolution, same rules apply for heaven. Show me the evidence.

Anyway, Imagine where we would be if your mind-set was still dominant in society… probably still fearing the dark, the seasons storms and earthquakes, worshiping eclipses, making human sacrifices and not advancing into any sort of industrialized state. Luckily a fair number of us have moved on – much to your benefit BTW. You are welcome.

And this leads to my 3rd and most compelling point – it explains why Dinos aren’t around today. For some reason they didn’t make it on the Ark. I would suggest it is because they didn’t get the message from His Son who was still harbouring a wee grudge over the whole betrayal crucifixion thing. My evidence? My studies under 2001 Cobra-kai have informed me that in New Testament, in Paul's letters, he mentions that “the Jews who killed the Lord, Jesus” (I Thessalonians 2:14-15).

This would explain why we don’t have any Dinos around today. You may call it an extinction event 65 million years ago but I think my theory is far stronger and compelling given the biblical, historical and photographic evidence. It is just basic common sense. How else can you explain the fact that Dinos aren't around today? You cant. But I just did. Case closed.

Sigh. When this thread started I suggested that it was a waste of time to argue with a Fundie / Creationist / ID proponent and here is the best proof to date why this remains sound advice.

Look at #43. 2001cobra’s missive. He has emphasised specific verbs and constructions that suggest possible answers or conclusion (as opposed to definitely starting that X or Y is an indisputable fact) that are completely commonplace and expected in scientific literature and reporting because THAT IS HOW ONE SPEAKS ABOUT TESTNG A HYPOTHESIS. The empirical method and testing of hypothesis are ongoing investigations that make claims and statements with degrees of statistical probability. Caution, scepticism, posing possible limitations on the findings, suggesting future avenues of research, and describing what an experiment of finding can and can’t say about X or Y is what ANY good scientific paper does. Scientists are not scared by gaps or what is not immediately known or understood – that is what inspires them to do more work. Science is a collaborative diachronic endeavour. As in our collective human knowledge.

Contrast that 2001cobra #43/#46 statements. When you believe that God is infallible and can explain everything there is no doubt in your world because you have none. Can’t explain X or y? Ok, God’s will. Why does / did X or Y happen? Because God wanted it to be. End of story.

Inquiry and questioning and doubt is to be feared in 2001 Cobra’s world unless it leads back to and thus is explained by on easy answer – God.

2001 Cobra you see lack of certainly in grammatical constructions and verbs as evidence of weakness of argument or evidence. It couldn’t be farther from the truth. But it is part of a truth that you will never accept because of your devotion to the one true answer and what He decides to reveal, or not, to us humans.

So again – you have shown over and over again with your refusal to accept evidence as evidence, and you wilful or more likely deliberate misunderstanding of the scientific method, lest your worldview get utterly destroyed, we really have incommensurate positions … and any further discussion is just a waste of our respective time.

I would guess ‘slowly and cautiously’ because he was a tall fella and the doorways and stalls don’t look like they have much clearance. He must have hung out in the middle space, that looks like it has reasonable clearence, I assume passing the time by playing shuffle-board and what not with the Brontosaurus couple.

Or perhaps Jebus did him a solid by riding him in to guide him (and his mate) around low hanging dangers…

Prepare to Believe! Bible history comes to life at the Creation Museum!

The Creation Museum shows why God´s infallible Word, rather than man´s faulty assumptions, is the place to begin if we want to make sense of our world.

This 75,000-square-foot facility allows families to experience earth history as God has revealed it in the Bible. Nearly 150 exhibits feature fearsome animatronic dinosaurs, talking heroes of the faith, and professional displays that honor God´s Word.

At the heart of the Creation Museum is a chronological retelling of biblical history in seven parts called the Seven C´s. Guests step back in time, beginning with Creation, and fast-forward to Christ´s return. Along the way, they see how God´s Word provides the big-picture answers for our most difficult questions, whether about science, the Bible, or our personal relationship with God.

The Creation Museum is a Christian evangelistic outreach of Answers in Genesis, as is our sister attraction, the Ark Encounter, a life-size Noah’s Ark built according to the dimensions given in the Bible. Spanning 510 feet long, 85 feet wide, and 51 feet high, this modern engineering marvel amazes visitors young and old.

#38. 2001cobra ‘ God ask this: " Where were you when he founded the heavens and laid the cornerstones of the earth?" Who here on this forum with your man made philosophies and tiny little books of human wisdom was there? Anyone????

My former scientific friends who I now shun and eschew thanks to my conversion would blasphemistically suggest that no one was present…. But of course that cant be because well God so I think it is rubbish but still – here is the link.

How Did Life Begin?
Untangling the origins of organisms will require experiments at the tiniest scales and observations at the vastest. By Jack Szostak on June 1, 2018

Ps. I think I just invented the word ‘blasphemistically’. Can one say that? I just created a word… that makes me a creator in my own little way. I feel so empowered. And spiritual. What a fantastic start to the day.

And therein lies the problem with you apostates, agnostics, miscreant non-believers and anyone else who has let their faith lapse.

God’s majesty is not a joking matter nor is his creation of all the life that we know and have ever known. It is precisely because of your jocularity and lack of seriousness on matters such as ‘how did life on life on Earth come to be’ that allows piddle such as the theory of evolution to develop and spread. These is no real question here, the answer has been provided to us since the 6th Century. Listen to 2001cobra, I have, and I am now a much better person because of it.

All on needs is faith and belief. And squirrel… sorry… I was distracted…

Yes faith and belief. No joking matter. I encourage you to either join or re-join the flock. Have you ever seen an unhappy sheep? Did not think so. Case closed. I accept your apology.

#12. ComentAtor ‘so you believe in these Bilderberg illuminati lizard people evolution bullshit’

With all due respect that is exactly the opposite of what 2001cobra and I (post enlightenment and conversion thanks to 2001cobra’s persuasive argument) are arguing.

Please check the Whales evolution discussion – clearly the Earth is more than 6,000 years old. Don’t be silly.

What we are asking for is proof of evolution. Please show us actual evidence of one species ‘evolving’ LOL into another. So far no one has shown us actual proof. Like a video. Fossils are not convicing evidence because there are gaps between periods and those missing links actually argue in favour on God's hand guiding things. Intelligently. And by Design. There is no other plausable explanation.

Yes you can try to argue that cats and dogs and 270 other ‘flesh devourers’ found in the order Carnivora split off some 51.4 million years ago and evolved into dogs and cats and weasels and bears and seals etc etc if you’re willing to accept “science” and its “theories” arrived by “investigation, evidence and testing and hypothesis and the empirical method” but this is all just an effort to deceive and distract from what is clearly God and his son’s will, glory and creations.

And you know what happened last time man tried to challenge God and his son’s domain – we ended up with linguistic diversity. And flood and pestilence and starvation and deaths and genocide and massive suffering etc etc but that is beside the point. Had man not been so arrogant then we would all be speaking Aramaic today and that would have made global communication and such so much easier, but I digress. Forgive me.

The proof of that is all around us and that is all 2001cobra and I, Austing the Enlightened , need.

We have our evidence and beliefs. And his book and teaching to guide us. Full stop. Any attempt to deceive or dissuade or convince us otherwise will fail. The truth is in his book and the fact that it has stood the test of time, more than 2000 years of clear explanations and moral guidance is all anyone really needs. Why would anyone want to challenge that?

Oh dear. Unrelated but somewhere Snakey is shaking his head and shouting 'no no no ... show me the proof... this is just science that won a Nobel Prize.. this is not proof ... I dont see another species emerging nor is there a fossil record'.

3 scientists sped up evolution in a lab. Their work just won a Nobel Prize.

The 2018 Nobel Prize in chemistry goes to the pioneers of "directed evolution."

The 2018 Nobel Prize in chemistry was awarded Wednesday morning to three scientists who put evolution to work to design molecules from living organisms that eventually led to the development of cleaner biofuels and drugs for treating diseases including psoriasis.

Half of the $1 million prize went to Frances Arnold, 62, at the California Institute of Technology, the fifth woman ever to receive the Nobel Prize in chemistry. The remainder was divided between George Smith, 77, at the University of Missouri Columbia and Gregory Winter, 67, at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in the United Kingdom.

Humans have been tinkering with other species since at least the dawn of civilization, from domesticating dogs to breeding more productive crops. But what the 2018 Nobel chemistry laureates figured out was how to use those same principles of selectively reproducing desired traits to make specific molecules, namely enzymes and antibodies.

> I am starting to wonder if in fact you are the 'One' that the big black book talks about coming back to save mankind.

Sorry to disappoint but I am not Neo, the ‘one’ but I am just a citizen like many others who feels a civic responsibility to help create and sustain a community. In my own way I have been fortunate enough in my life to be in a position to give back via my career and perhaps make a positive change in people’s lives – but I am in no way special. Countless others are doing the same thing.

> pushing the loin cloth look

Nice! I would not put it past the hipster generation to make this the new thing next spring.

> I can't guarantee that I will remain completely behind you all the NEW way as my parents gave me the middle name of Iscarrot

Pity. Because so far, one day into my conversion , and now that I have stopped asking questions and just relying on belief and the writing contained in a single book as interpreted by others deemed to have a closer connection to the author than I, life is so SO much easier. When you have the answers at hand life makes so much more sense. And it is worry free. I really encourage you to try it. I honestly can’t see any downside….

This video proves nothing and is therefore useless. And a waste of my time and your collective time.

2001cobra and I both are in agreement that dinosaurs walked on either two or four legs because that is what God wanted. End of story.

And the fact that you can show a footprint next to a person proves in our minds that humans and dinosaurs co-existed. The proof is literally right there for all to see!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Dinosaurs first evolved??? No, that is a lie. They were placed on earth at the same time as all other animals. That is just a fact. A fact written in our big book of truth that you apostates chose to ignore.

I hope that you will 2001cobra and me for an alternative fact based explanation that doesn’t require speculation or guesswork – just belief and blessed acquiescence to the Creator. It feels so good not to question or have lingering gaps, I hope you will join us.

#31. 2001cobra [someone has a pile of lumber, tells you it will someday become a house, I check back later it is still a pile of lumber. Why didn't it become a house? ]

Oh oh I want to play!!

Pile of lumber, into a house. Wait… Jebus was a carpenter's son (Matthew 13:55) and he was also referred to as a carpenter (Mark 6:3). To convert the pile of lumber into a house… I need Jebus.. who is the son of God, or perhaps God himself in human form —God in human flesh (I Timothy 3:16)… so I need God.

Sweet mother of self-reflection and discovery, God is in fact the one true and only answer!!!!!

Thank you for leading me down this true and righteous path. I know see the error of my ways, the errors of my arguments and the light.

It was Jebus / God all along… wow!! But you already knew that. Thickies like me need to be shown the way.

Thanks for the patience and when you get to the pearly gates you can claim my conversion on your CV.

Fine. So you are a proponent of Intelligent Design which is just repackaged Creationism

> most will not admit that yes there are serious gaps.

Actually not true and this is what motives current research. Gaps are not to be feared nor do they undermine the robustness of the theory of evolution. This has been addressed but you still chose to ignore it.

>to have at least "one" simple example in the fossil record showing all the connective bones or impressions

The evidence is overwhelming and abundantly available, your decision to not avail yourself of it or deny it does not make you argument valid or legitimate. It makes it a waste of time.

And you end with yet another classic ID trope of ‘irreducible complexity’. Sigh. If the Snotr community is not up on ID terms this is one of the supposed theoretical linchpins of ID. 001cobra presents it as the following:

>Tell me how eyes would have evolved from a blind creature? Just a simple answer will be fine

The argument is basically this - if you have a single system which is composed of several interacting parts, if you remove of any one of the parts it causes the system to cease functioning.

Show me eyes would have evolved from a blind creature. Ok, not a problem, Here you go.

Zoologist Dan-Erik Nilsson demonstrates how the complex human eye could have evolved through natural selection acting on small variations. Starting with a simple patch of light sensitive cells, Nilsson's model "evolves" until a clear image is produced. Examples of organisms that still use the intermediary forms of vision are also shown. From Evolution: "Darwin's Dangerous Idea".

‘Irreducible complexity (IC) is the idea that certain biological systems cannot evolve by successive small modifications to pre-existing functional systems through natural selection. Irreducible complexity is central to the creationist concept of intelligent design, but it is rejected by the scientific community, which regards intelligent design as pseudoscience.

The theological argument from design was presented in creation science with assertions that evolution could not explain complex molecular mechanisms. Michael Behe in his 1996 book Darwin's Black Box called this irreducible complexity and said it made evolution through natural selection of random mutations impossible. This was based on the mistaken assumption that evolution relies on improvement of existing functions, ignoring how complex adaptations originate from changes in function, and disregarding published research. Evolutionary biologists have published rebuttals showing how systems discussed by Behe can evolve, and examples documented through comparative genomics show that complex molecular systems are formed by the addition of components as revealed by different temporal origins of their proteins.

In the 2005 Kitzmiller v. Dover Area School District trial the court found that "Professor Behe's claim for irreducible complexity has been refuted in peer-reviewed research papers and has been rejected by the scientific community at large."’

I second the vote from Thunders et al that we get new vids and move on. #22. 2001cobra will never be convinced. If he/she wants to remain wilfully ignorant that is his/her choice. He/she has not chosen to evolve in his/her thinking and like all such species who run down selective dead ends – this example of sham science (ID) will almost certainly die out with its dead ending proponents.

I suggested that you would use an intellectually indefensible position to frame your ’lack of proof’ argument and on cue you have done this by trotting out the well nown and false ‘gaps in the fossil record’ meme.

This is a very common discourse strategy in the Creationist / ID Community. Yes, one can’t find a continuous fossil record from the emergence of multicellular organisms to present day because condition on earth at various times were not conducive to preserving matter in the form of fossils.

Hence we have a gap in the record and 2001cobra and his/her ilk seize on it as proof positive.

The absence of evidence is the evidence of absence may feel like a winning argument in your community 2001cobra but it is a logical fallacy built on a false dichotomy and in the case of evolution falls apart immediately. It fails to understand and recognize that science and discovery are ongoing processes, evolution is a theory that is being successfully tested every day, and more and more evidence is in fact being discovered on a daily basis that validates this theory. What also you fail to accept is that theories and evidence allow for predictions and that is what scientists have done with the existing fossil record with great success. There are literally hundreds of prediction made from Darwin forward that have been realized via the fossil records. Based on X people expected to find, and in due time they did find it. For example Darwin predicted the presence of Precambrian fossils, these were never found in this lifetime, but in the 1950’s they were discovered.

The scientific world, unlike yours, thrives on gaps in our knowledge and this helps to drive research. In fact all good research should in fact exploit a research gap but that is another discussion.

So, we are at an impasse. You can use the gap in the fossil record to try and justify your opinion but you are a) mistaken, b) wilfully ignoring the fallacy of your position and c) demonstrating a basic ignorance of logic, science, and the empirical process.

I know you need this to justify your belief that the world is 6,000 years old but most people, post Enlightenment, have moved on from such retrograde and primitive positions.

So the world is 6, 0000 years old. Check.

And do you also believe in the story of Noah and the flood? All animals in existence have always existed and they survived God’s purge thanks to Noah. It does explain the lack of a clear fossil chain.

So you accept the story of Noah as well, yes?

How are you on taking / making slaves, killing apostates, death for worshiping other / false Gods and multiple wives?

I did the mic drop and everything and then you made me reflect with your next post re evidence. Good stuff by the way.

Actual evidence will never be enough for #10. 2001cobra, he/she will find an intellectually unsustainable way to disqualify it, but a quick google and I found what I recall reading back in the day.

This has been pinched from Wikipedia but it is what he/she is asking for.

Lenski's E. E. coli long-term evolution experiment

One of the most widely known examples of laboratory bacterial evolution is the long-term E.coli experiment of Richard Lenski. On February 24, 1988, Lenski started growing twelve lineages of E. coli under identical growth conditions.[32][33] When one of the populations evolved the ability to aerobically metabolize citrate from the growth medium and showed greatly increased growth,[34] this provided a dramatic observation of evolution in action. The experiment continues to this day, and is now the longest-running (in terms of generations) controlled evolution experiment ever undertaken.[citation needed] Since the inception of the experiment, the bacteria have grown for more than 60,000 generations. Lenski and colleagues regularly publish updates on the status of the experiments.[35]

Mice, fruit flies, and other critters with shorter life spans and robust breeding have also been subjected to longitudinal testing. Again – providing clear evidence for evolution.

#10. 2001cobra the evidence and research done in support of the theory of evolution is widely available. You can start with Darwin’s ‘On the Origin of Species’ or for a excellent modern treatise read Richard Dawkin’s ‘The Selfish Gene’. Or the Dawkin’s book that #9 JJ suggested.

The fact that you have chosen to not avail yourself of the countless books and accept heaps of scientific evidence produced in support of this theory is evidence of your wilful and deliberate ignorance and NOT, as you put it, a ‘lack of proof’. The proof is all around you, you have just chosen to deny its existence – much like evolution.

The proverb you can lead a horse to water, but you can’t make him drink comes to mind and seems most apropos for situation.

As is my previous statement about the futility of engaging with a Fundamentalist / Creationist / intelligent Design proponent.

#7. 2001cobra ok. Fair point regarding the ability to produce offspring. That does suggest a close genetic relatedness – so you are suggesting a new critter at the genus level I assume. Plus this change was deliberate and faciliated by humans. Again - fair enough. So lets just go with Darwin's finches or the Peppered Moth in the UK as classic well attested examples of evolution due to enviromental factors and or pressures.

You have lost me however with your argument that one cannot interbreed members of the dog / Canidae and cat / Felidae families to create a new specialized critter. Agreed. You cant. Why this cannot happen has been known and explained by science for a while now. You know chromosomes and such. This is now accepted by most if not all scientists.

>Will you succeed? Of course not.

But we know why it will not succeed so your point is??

>If you can't do it with all your knowledge then how could it just happen with no explanation or "PROOF" when your out digging?

However, is precisely our scientific knowledge that explains why it cannot be done (outside of gene splicing I suppose, ok by ‘natural’ procreative means) so we have booth evidence and a well-tested theory and explanation… no digging required.

Again, I do not understand your point.

>And yes do not waste your time with a "fundie".

You have unfortunately just proven my point.

>The reason you will not is you cannot prove even the simplest of what you say evolution is, which you say is fact. In reality, you nor any evolutionist has ever come up with any proof.

That is just patently false and ignores all the advancements and discoveries made in the sciences over the past 200+ years.

You are playing the classic creationist / Intelligent Design rhetorical game which is show me the proof without ever operationally defining what you mean by ‘proof’, or acknowledging much less accepting genetic records, fossil records, etc. etc, or suggesting that any proof you will accept must violate basic science and what is known. The evidence and proof is all around you mate. Evolution is a theory but it is very robust, it has been tested countless times (always being found as valid), it allows for predictions, and it is accepted by a great majority of the scientists and researchers and academics in the world.

On the other hand, you can rely on Bronze Age observations and deliberate ignorance of the world of science and the empirical method and the insights into the universe that it has provided for an answer.

This is the result of human intervention and breeding for specific purposes. These guys did not hitch a ride on Noah’s boat ;-) . Humans did this to another species. This is a lovely little example of evolution over time. Trait selection and adaptation. And yet wolves still exist and in some cases cross breeding is possible. Say what now?

Again – don’t try to argue with a fundie, not worth your time. Time better spent looking at the beauty of evolution and marvelling at what it has produced in the natural world.

To suggest that I don’t feel sympathy for people who have lost property and lives and livelihoods due to a natural disaster is baseless and an unwarranted insult. I wish you would stop. I am frequently attacked for being too sensitive and too critical of intolerance, bullying and prejudice. Yet now you claim I am insensitive to the plight of people impacted by this storm? That just fails the common sense test.

I was awed by the power of the storm and given the subject it evoked a powerful metaphor for me. I did not project it beyond that – and presented it as my opinion. The question is provocative, of course, but it is valid to many of us outside of the US looking at the US as the beacon of democracy, freedom, liberty, and opportunity. I think the image of the US as a nation has taken a pounding in the 21st century. And this flag symbolized that. Note I also said the US was resilient and strong. I believe that. This is not anger but simply an observation and thought brought on by powerful imagery. This was my reaction so I shared.

I don’t expect anyone to share my opinion but I would ask you please remain civil and if inclined – tell me why I am mistaken. You could have told us what this video meant to you but instead you took the path of least effort – ridicule and anger. And that is a pity. I really wish you could learn to express yourself differently, with thoughts and reflection and not just impulsive invective and personal attacks. Your goal is to have others self-censor because you don’t like what is being said and then you reply in a terse uncivil way that upsets the Snotr community. For a man who lives in a country with freedoms of speech actually enshrined in law this is quite remarkable to me. Freedom of speech is also the freedom to respectfully disagree no?

#4. Kenuty Respectfully, I think we are all able to carry more than one thought at a time.

Of course, I feel sympathy for those who lost everything in the US due to this storm. The circumstances; however, also presented images of an American flag deteriorating under continuous assault and I felt that was a powerful metaphor. It does not diminish or deny the loss of life and property etc, but it was simply a reflection that came to mind as I was watching the vid.

You seem to ignore that I also referred to the fact that the flag was still standing on spite of nature’s best efforts. So, we are in agreement. ;-)

Is the United States still so united? Really? You seem to have a population that is more ideologically and politically polarized than at any time in its history.

From an external perspective I suggested that the tattered flag was iconic of the loss of democratic principles, freedoms, guidance and moral and economic leadership, both internally and externally, that the US long embodied on the world stage. Yes, the same can be said about the EU but this is a vid of the American flag in a storm. Ironically you seem to agree to some degree in your last sentence.

This is a powerful image, to each their own in terms of what it invokes, no? Degradation and resilience, these are not mutually exclusive states IMHO.

This is really the perfect visual metaphor, or a delightful and/or painful analogy if you will, IMHO of both the state of the United States as the exemplar of democracy in the world and its leadership in the global economic environment in 2018. Battered, bruised and coming apart at the seams…. And in tatters with respect to where and what it once was. Yes, still resilliant and strong but it has seen better days.

Professional and or serious mountain climbers in many cases, if they perished, their bodies were often left on the mountain usually because they could not be recovered and this was part of the risk that they undertook. In many cases a fatality or tragedy did not endanger others (for the most part - other than the team) because of the remoteness and inaccessability of the situation they occurred in. Urban clowns – not so much.

And that said, mountaineering has attracted more and more people due to guides and technology (and money) and this has brought larger numbers of less qualified people into places they really shouldn’t be. This increase in sport climbers has facilitated more rescue personnel who do put themselves in danger and mandatory evacuation insurance policies in many places. Granted the rescue people are also professionals so they will not put themselves in too much danger but it is a risky job.

FWIW, If you want a stunning look at the dangers and the conditions you should read Jon Krakauer’s ‘Into Thin Air’ about a doomed Everest trip. An amazing gripping read. I read it in basically one sitting. It was that good. He is an excellent writer. I could not put it down. You should be able to get a used paperback for cheap. You will not be disappointed.

Oh but think of the bragging rights that will come with this world record. He will never buy another drink or pay for a meal in his life. Women and wealth will flock to him when people discover that he successfully cracked more walnuts with his head in 1 minute than any other person. In the world. Ever. Someone with this record holds his dented and damaged head up high when he walks… sorry struts because he holds a very impressive and meaningful world record. Sigh. We are creatures that have discovered maths, physics, biology, created literature, built great civilizations, sent people into outer space, machines to other planets and yet we still do and encourage this stupidity. Sigh…

Richard Feynman almost certainly shat in the woods and next to a bear out of curiosity.

He had an amazing career and life, starting as the badboy trouble maker at Los Alamos as part of the US’s WW2 Manhattan Project. Apparently he drove the military nuts with his exploits.

I would encourage people to read his book "Surely You're Joking, Mr. Feynman!" if they want to learn more about him and his genius and his non conformity. Fascinating man.

And

#3 but have we ever proven that the light in the refrigerator goes out???

Only one way to find out # 4. nomaddaf, we will need you to climb in and close the door.

We can call this the Nomaddaf Refrigerator Box experiment. Is the light on or off? We won’t know thus nomaddaf will exist in a quantum state for us on the outside, with the light being possibly on and possibly off. Only nomaddaf will know and that information will remain privileged until he is released.. but that is a different decision all together ;-)

What good is a substantive discharge without all of the screwing and pumping? How is that even possible? Much less desirable? I always thought the screwing and the pumping are really an essential part, if not the best part, of the process.. Wait… we are still talking about a watergun… aren’t we? This is so confusing.. JJ you have done it again. ;-)

The only amazing thing is how people can override the most basic and primal limbic centred fears for 5 minutes of ‘fame’ in the form of what they hope will be a viral video. ‘Hope’ is central to the endeavours. Hope I don’t fall. I hope I dont slip. I hope I haven't misjudged it. I hope this stunt makes a great video. Hope I get more followers. Hope this stunt looks cool. Sigh.

I hope these people don’t have children or loved ones that count on them. Or love them because these kinds of stunts are really selfish.

I hope these people honour Darwin’s legacy by removing themselves from the collective human gene pool BEFORE they succeed in reproducing.

LOL. Boys will be boyz ;-) Blonde eye candy trumps all I guess for some.

I could not get past the music. It is akin to some of those slow-mo human athletic achievements videos showing sporty people doing insane things set to grinding noise. It is just too distracting. And this lead singer is no Tom Waits. Even with a fit blonde accoutrement – this vid was not for me.

#6 JJ. We had a conversation about authors and intellectuals whose works and positions we appreciated. We did not talk about religion, per se, in any evaluative or critical way. No comparative or absolute positions were expressed as far as I recall. Just a mutual appreciation and respect for the Hitch Slap ;-)

#4. Nomaddaf. Respectfully, I referred to Azerbaijan as rife with corruption. That is all.

It is unfortunate that you have chosen to use the derogatory term shithole country’ in your reply.

Admin/ Geekster has asked that people adhere to the rules and do not start discussions about politics or religion.

Your unfortunate characterization has just crossed that boundary. It has a very specific and very political connotation in 2018 and therefore I would prefer if you would refrain from making such characterizations. To do so only invites a reply. Just because a country ranks high on a corruption index doesn’t make it or its people necessarily bad or it a ‘shithole’ as you called it.

In the name of Snotr collegiality, I would be grateful if you could please stop making such pejorative and clearly loaded generalizations.

Impressive detective work. So the video is a fake but the tracks etc are real.

I love the incredulous question ‘how is this possible?’ and ignoring the obvious one word answer.

Azerbaijan.

Apparently, it is one of the most corrupt industrial countries on earth. Mafia money from Russian etc etc and from the Middle East, especially Iran, all flow through here.

My guess is that the local development went ahead without any thought to zoning or traffic or obtaining permission or informing local authorities. So you get a train track crossing a multi-lane road with minimal signage. Hey, port existed before the motorway and the traffic that comes with it and sans urban design oversight and regulation, you get this dangerous nonsense.

Actually I didn’t. I referred to the submission rules, rule number 4. Apologies if the hashtag caused confusion. When you submit a vid, these rules pop up.

And yes, admin geekster, is the arbitrator of what vid gets posted. In my own humble opinion, I did not see what made this vid special. He did and perhaps others will as well. I simple expressed my personal opinion in a non-derogatory fashion.

#3. Judge-Jake - excellent! Hitch was also a brilliant writer and yes, fully agree on 'God Is Not Great'. Have you read his anthology 'The Portable Atheist: Essential Readings for the Non-Believer'? Also, quite good. Or seen many of Hitch's debates with religious leaders? Hitch came from a background of thought, reasoned discourse, reading, and debate. Brilliant man. Not without faults and gross mistakes, for example his unwavering support of the 2nd Iraq invasion IMHO, but he was a genuine man of letters. And sadly missed.

If you are so inclined, I highly recommend that you read his book The Selfish Gene. It is academically oriented, exceptionally well written and has lots of supporting science and examples. You may find his book The Blind Watchmaker to be more accessible – it is equally as compelling and well written. His more recent book, The Greatest Show on Earth: The Evidence for Evolution seems to be for a lay audience. Same quality of argument and prose. Lastly, because JJ has echoed such sentiments, I highly recommend his book The God Delusion. As a biologist and an empiricist and a scientist he has little time or patience for organized religion. Nuff said.

Bet that little encounter left some unbearable scratches on the car….
and the bonnet, probably didn't bear the weight all that well...
and luckily it was a nice black one, it could have been far more grizzly ....
and had that been the case pandamonium would have probably broken out...
and they woudl have had to bearicade the doors...
because I am sure the car's occpants were not koalafied to deal with such a situation.
and now that I have completly embearassed myself i will sign off for the evening.

#8. cameramaster ‘My grandfather smoked from roughly the age of ten...right up until he passed away [at] 73.

A lovely example of a statistical anomaly with respect to human genetics, cancers and why some people develop them after years of self-destructive behaviours and others don’t. These kind of example are what allowed the tobacco companies to lie to citizens for years (ok, that and self-financed research that was inherently skewed) and deny the causal relationship between smoking and cancer. See some heavy smokers do not develop cancer therefore no link.

Examples like cameramaster’s grandfather are totally expected and predicted in any robust model.

Bottom line is some people get lucky. Why or how is the more interesting question IMHO.

#3. Judge-Jake The one thing you didn’t include in your spot on rant was cost. Cigs are expensive! I am amazed at how much a pack costs in my country. Yes, it is all taxes designed to be a financial disincentive, which is fine and I agree with, but not smoking also frees up money to be spent on other self-destructive pleasures like alcohol and spliffs and such.

#10. Geekster (admin) and you missed the entire point of my comment, which was transparently tongue and cheek in nature.

I NEVER suggested that Sux2bu, Fjwjr, nomaddaf had either watched or down voted this video. You are completely misconstruing my comments. I simply said that someone should alert them. That is all.

Those members and others have shown a pathological and irrational (IMHO) fear for and misunderstanding of socialism, Marxism and Marxist-Leninism. I thought it was very funny that Thunders posted a video with actual Marxist-Leninist children’s propaganda. That was it.

You unfortunately missed the irony – Suxy posted ‘Help my kid is a socialist’, I didn’t, and the alt-righters have shown a complete distain for the ‘left’ so this Russian kids vid was, IMHO, very amusing.

I treat others with respect but I do call out bigoted hateful mischaracterizations and outright lies and provide facts and such in my rebuttals. And, yes, when I post a thought on what I saw as potential child exploitation (the earlier violin vid) and I am attacked – yes I will push back. How Suxy’s response not uncalled for? I do hope you called him out on that.

I am genuinely chill and quite happy but as a Snotr member since Dec 2008 I have seen this site undergo a transformation where people are now attacked and denigrated and trolled for simply expressing an opinion. The art of civil discourse has all but disappeared thanks to a few members and I hate bullying and mistreatment of others. Letting people propagate alt-right ‘alternative facts’ and belittle others calling them SJWs, liberals, snowflakes, women (all slurs hurled at me) is what got us, as a community, to this point. To suggest that I am like them is such a false equivalency. Snotr has a bully contingent and I did not cause or create it.

I take it that you would prefer that people expressing racist, bigoted, homophobic, anti-immigrant, hateful comments be left alone. That can be done but as a site admin I would think that you would want to increase viewership and not drive people away. You have lost many over the anti-Islam and anti-immigrant comments. Where is your outrage over that?

I always try to treat others with respect. Yes, I have dipped into snark on occasion, not ad hominem attacks or profanity, but I try to engage with people and at the end of the day, I am happy to agree to disagree.

I ask you can the same be said of Sux2bu, Fjwjr, nomaddaf and others of the same orientation??

I do hope the driver pulled over and helped this person out. One doesn’t normally raid a clothes recycling bin. It is not as if you are going to find the greatest stuff in there. This is probably a homeless person or someone destitute and this was an act of desperation gone awry. That possibility takes some of the amusement away for me. It is funny but at the same time unexpectedly unsettling.

OMG!! Someone needs to alert Sux2bu, Fjwjr, nomaddaf and the other alt-right cultural Americans to this dangerous video. This is honest to God fair dinkum Marxist Leninist children’s material !! Made in mother Russia for little freedom and god hating commie kids.

The abovementioned people feared this video and have been preparing us for this day by warning of the dangers of socialism and communism. Now it worms its way in in the form of a benign children’s video…

Our American friends would go to alert level 11 if they had any idea that real Marxist-Leninist materials were on Snotr for once ;-)

On second thought.. best not tell them. It would just lead to useless alt-vective and more personal attacks and insults from that mob.

Intersting vid Thunders. What an odd but interesting discovery. Thanks!

So #10. Snotraddict, you believe that ‘too much text’ in a post gives you licence to insult others, make Ad hominem attacks, and generally make Snotr a less inviting place for people to visit??

So not the content or views expressed – just the length of the post?? Too many words? Really?

You are really revealing yourself to be a pathetically insecure, egotistical, and unpleasant person.

A) As has been said to others – you do not have to read everything. (Apparently you need to be reminded of this)

B) I wish you would stop and consider the impact that your ugly rhetoric has had on Snotr. It has not been appreciated and people are leaving.

And C) You of all people have the AUDACITY to call others ‘snowflakes’, an alt-right term referring to people being too sensitive and emotionally vulnerable. LOL. Let me add pathetic hypocrite to your descriptors as well.

# 8. huldu Yes, I can see how you might think that #5 krazeeeyez and #6. Snotraddict’s petulant and puerile responses could be the result of teen angst. These comments are certainly impulsive and immature enough but both of these charming individuals have revealed themselves to be at least middle aged if not older adult Americans in previous posts. One or both may even have children and families. That makes this situation all that more depressing. They should at least know better but the anonymity of the internet allows them to react with their basest crudest impulses. So sad and quite frankly pathetic.

A few weeks ago, there was a discussion on how the proliferation of alt-right propaganda videos and aggressive alt right leaning posters had made Snotr an unpleasant place and this lead to some long time members to leave.

It is clear that this incivility goes well beyond particular topics and that some people just use this forum to troll and denigrate others because they can.

I simply commented that I thought that a child performer, who started at six and is now nine may be in an exploitative situation and that, might not be in her developmental interest – as a child.

Yet #5 krazeeeyez and #6. snotraddict use this opportunity to attack me. Why? WTF is wrong with the two of you?

Do you really think this is acceptable discourse? A non-partisan reflection on a video and your first thought is ‘oh.. what a perfect opportunity to denigrate someone else!!!’.

Does suggesting that someone ‘STFU’ make you feel like more of a man and fill you with happiness, confidence and self-control? I assume that is what is missing from your life right now. And the only place you can find power and opportunity to do this is anonymously and on-line in a public forum. How sad.

Your responses really tell more about the two of you than anything else. You can be useless snarky a-holes. Ok. Congratulations I guess. Honestly, given you past posts you did not tell us anything we did not already know.

Why is Snotr sliding in viewership and participation? Perhaps it is because even the most benign reflections and opinion in posts are attacked and trolled by the likes of Messrs krazeeeyez and snotraddict .

She is skilled, for a 9 year old, and yes she has some serious showwomanship , BUT … I find this whole thing disturbingly exploitative.

From her youtube page she says that she has been playing violin since violin since [she] was 6 years old. And that her ‘desire is to bring a little bit of magic and inspiration into the world through my love to violin Thank you for helping me share the gift of music. I love you’

So she has put a lot of time in on the violin. When did she have a chance to be a child? A kid who runs around with friends, explores outside, gets into mischief, makes friends… To have such skills requires a great deal of practice time. Time I woudl guess not spent being a kid.

I don’t know her situation but these child prodigies and their commercialization always feels exploitative to me. No one knows how much she was pushed by her parents. The kid is playing for money on the streets, with proper accompaniment, but if she started at 6 years old and now she is nine… when did she have a chance to actually be a curious child and explore the world on her own terms? Let kids develop IMHO. If they have talent, great, support them, but let them have some autonomy and choice in the career path before kicking them into the world of commercialization, publicity, (self) promotion and concomitant attention and pressures.

Well this is a crap misleading video title. I thought I was going to see more evidence of Erdogan’s government cracking down on a free press and all I get is some bellend getting bullied by an overgrown bird.

#6. Akeem. Thanks for the support! You must love liberty and freedom and the 2nd amendment as much as I do. Big ups brother patriot!

One small correction, for this situation my trusty Mark XIX Desert Eagle pistol would unfortunately not be effective. I would however get my trusty Mossberg 500 pump action 12-gauge shotgun from my vehicle; load it with some number 10 birdshot, and then blast the nest. Luckily, I live in a "Castle Doctrine" state in America that allows me to shoot intruders if I feel threatened, those wasps are very threatening..., and I did not invite them or give them permission so they would get what they deserve. Steel pellets.

Then yippee ki-yay motherf*cker we got ourselves a gunfight! Bring it on.

And I am supremely confident that my years of practice and training at the range and my extensive mental preparation via FPS videogames would prevail.

You need the right attitude. I’d look them right in the eyes unload with the classic ‘"You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? You talkin' to me? Then who the hell else are you talkin' to? You talkin' to me? Well I'm the only one here. Who the fuck do you think you're talking to?"

If they don’t lower their weapon – then it is all about the fast draw. That is why I carry my weapon in a Savoy Leather Desert Eagle Holster on my waist. And I am fast. At least that is what my wife tells me.

Lastly, when the punks run, and they will at the sight of my Desert Eagle, and if they try to take cover and fire back – that is why I always use my own hand loaded .50 AE tool steel and tungsten Teflon coated ammunition. It will cut though an engine block like butter. Aint no hiding from that.

I don’t want to take a life but I will defend my watch and my friends from armed and unarmed criminal thugs.

A perfect example of what happens to decent law-abiding citizens in liberal countries that either ban or make handgun possession and odious nightmare of regulations.

This would never happen in my American state because we have open carry laws that allow me to protect myself and not become a victim like that man.

Had those punks approached me they would have seen my shiny Mark XIX Desert Eagle pistol, loaded with .50 AE ammunition, openly displayed on my hip in Savoy Leather Desert Eagle Holster. And they would have moved on. You liberals like to hate on guns but they keep me and my watch safe, and my family safe, and my property safe, from violence like this.

I refuse to become a victim and so I go out properly prepared. Hate the crime not the law-abiding open carry gun owner.

#6. Tomthecabinboy ‘Evolution is impossible. It goes against everything that we know’

Please give the obvious trolling a rest. Unless you are being sarcastic then please improve your troll game because right now you just look like a twat.

And 5. YoArgentino ‘Evolution theory has not be proven. [and] Gravitation theory neither.

True. Neither theory has been proven.

7. Judge-Jake do not take the bait. This is the clever by ½ troll. YoArgentino is either a lawyer in training or a 1st year philosophy major ;-) or just a banal effort at trolling.

Yes, technically neither theory has been proven, which is why they remain theories. However, there is such an abundance of evidence that the scientific community accepts both to a very very large degree. It is called the scientific method and good theories need to be tested regularly, which they are, and make predictions, and which is why Intelligent Design or Creationism fails repeatedly. I do not even know what a person who does not believe in the theory of gravity is called but I suspect physicists have name for them. And not a nasty one ;-)

Update! They are called physicists and mathematicians! This is a very robust and complicated debate and the arguments on how to classify and understand gravitational force have been debated from Galileo to Einstein to today by some crazy smart people. I know my limits and the maths and the arguments far exceed my limited brain. It is not about 'if I drop the apple will it fall' but far more nuanced arguments. I surrender....

‘you know, if you can't beat them, accuse them of something that they did not do’

Actually we do know what she looked like, he has a history of being an asshole to people on public land, AND WE KNOW EXACTLY WHAT HE DID thanks to the video. And the police report. HE LIED.

Wow. Objective evidence in front of you, the man lied to the police, he NOT she was arrested ‘. Cops confirmed he was cited in connection with one count of disorderly conduct and one count of false reporting to law enforcement stemming from that incident – and yet you make up alternative realities to support the idiotic reaction of ‘liberals’.
That was my only issue with fjwjr’s stupid response. His reactionary tribalistic response.

The two of you are what is wrong with America. Honestly. Your polarized myopic mindset is just amazing. You see this situation and think the use of the word ‘liberal’ as a slur is somehow appropriate.

Really? That was your takeaway? Liberals. That is all you are capable of....?? Sigh.

Please stop posting – you don’t make any sense. So your argument is that you were talking about the man? Liberals refers to the man? Huh? What have you been smoking?

Sigh. By now your incoherence is to be expected but this clumsy post hoc alternative justification is too silly to be believed. What do they say – when you are in a hole stop making things up?

The fact is, when faced with this video your reaction was one word – ‘liberals’. That is not normal. It is however the guttural reaction of an alt-right tribal troll. You have said nothing since to suggest otherwise.

Indeed but I honestly don’t think #2. Fjwjr can help himself - his alt-right impulses and idiotic reductionist retorts are really all he has.

Here we have a case of objective reality. A legitimate issues of right of access (she has clearly researched her rights, he disagrees) so a standoff. She had her phone at the ready to record things so this suggests an ongoing dispute with the public. Fine.

But the man clearly makes false claims ‘he feels threatened and she could be carrying a firearm’ and that endangers her life. The police in America will arrive with the expectation of threat, violence, aggression and a possible weapon and will approach her accordingly. Probably with guns drawn. Clearly, she is not showing any of this, in fact she even rebuts him while he is making the false and dangerous claims to the police dispatcher.

WTF is wrong with you #2. Fjwjr?

Only in your selfish world could a dispute over public access to land adjacent to a home, by an unarmed objectively nonthreatening 50 plus year old female hiker, be a legitimate context in which to endanger a human life via a responding place patrol.

You really have some twisted values Fjwjr.

This man knowingly lied to get the police to respond faster and in doing so put this woman’s life in danger. And we know he did because we have the video evidence. But liberals… is all you can come up with.

Fjwjr you really need to reflect on your tribalistic worldview. It is so primative. And unthinking.

>Mesa police focused on Jaffa, instead. Cops confirmed he was cited in connection with one count of disorderly conduct and one count of false reporting to law enforcement stemming from that incident.

Insults and awkward encounters aside, Fillmore and other hikers each question the validity of Jaffa’s claims. Who actually owns the contested section of land known as the Hawes Loop Trail — the Jaffas, the City of Mesa, or the Las Sendas community?

The city of Mesa owns it, according to Kevin Christopher, the city's spokesman.
“In July, the City rerouted a portion of the Hawes Loop Trail out of an abundance of caution concerning a potential drop-off next to the trail and directly above the Jaffas' property, which could cause injury to bikers and hikers,” Christopher told New Times. “This new part of the trail was never on Mr. Jaffa’s property. In fact, it shifted the trail farther away from his property. The city of Mesa is going to place a fence barrier that will clearly mark the property line for the City as well as the property owned by Mr. Jaffa.”

This homeowner was certainly NOT mischaracterizing this hiker’s location, her right to public access, her demeanour, threat potential, her possible possession of a firearm, her age and his own actions etc to the police – he was simply providing alternative facts!

Nice story - just as long as the critter doesn't change into a 'support' donkey and he tries to bring it on to an airplane... elbow room is bad enough, imagine having to compete for the armrest with a donkey...

Said #14. fjwjr ignoring the fact that the premise of his argument is simply not accurate or factually correct. And rife with errors. Sigh.

Your tenacity is almost as impressive as your ignorance. And stubbornness.

Pointing out that you are spouting rubbish is not down playing anything – I was saying that your claim is inaccurate and wrong on multiple levels. And I proposed counter evidence. So no I 'did not'.

And of course, you ignored the hypothetical counter argument that mercantilism, capitalism, and imperialism have almost certainly killed scores more over the centuries. Cause that causes problems for your simplistic pre-packaged alt right talking points.

F – me you are thick. Do you even consider the implications of your rebuttals?

>14. fjwjr ‘ And you can play the "but they aren't 'real socialists' game" all you want ..

YES! Because it is far more complicated than your binary boogie man socialism is the enemy world Sparky.

>but it doesn't change the facts.

Which fact? That you have conflated Marxism and socialism? Hint Maoism and Marxist-Leninism in your simplistic worldview have killed far more. Or attributed socialism to governments that were totalitarian (like Nazis). Etc etc.
The fact is you obviously have no f-in clue what you are talking about. You parrot talking points (100 million deaths caused by socialism) but do not have the minimum knowledge to back it up. Your lack of basic history, political science, and economics is appalling.

Just repeating false claims does not make them any more accurate or truthful. It has not worked for your charming President and it is not working here.

May your intellectual and discursive failures not follow you into your weekend my friend. Next week is a new beginning.

Once again he posits generalizations, inaccuracies and poorly sources / constructed arguments.

You, snotraddict, Sux2bu and the other alt-righters look up the ‘Dunning-Kruger Effect’, the tendency for unskilled people to make poor decisions or reach wrong conclusions, but their incompetence prevents them from recognising their mistakes. You lot are a textbook example.

And sorry, just because you have assembled a simpleton cheering squad does not make your collective statements any more correct or accurate or coherent. But if it makes you feel better then so be it.

#11. Fjwjr, a suggestion. Don’t start with a broad inane clumsy generalization like this ‘That's the thing with most leftists; they really have no idea how the world works.’ This just alerts the reader that you are not to be taken seriously.

Then again, misattributions and conflations like this also do not help. ‘It's amazing that you downplay the fact that over 100 million were killed in the name of socialism last century alone’.

One, no one has downplayed anything and two, now you have deliberately conflated socialism and Marxism or Marxist-Leninism. If you are going to use an alt-right talking point then please get it right.

Regardless you clearly have no idea what you are talking about. You are declaring that Hitler, Stain and Mao (and others) were all socialists and thus the staggering death toll. These evil cats were all totalitarians first and foremost. And ethno-nationalists and fascists. This is what lead to the deaths not the limited and selective application of socialism or Marxism but you do not know the difference anyway so let us move on.

BTW - the Nazi Party (National Socialist German Workers' Party) was not socialist in any meaningful way. You will disagree (they have the name socialist in the title!!) but then you will have to accpet that North Korea, the Democratic People's Republic of Korea is a democratic country and I think we can agree it is not. Titles can be misleading.

BTW, two can play the numbers game ;-) A very strong argument can be made that mercantilism and capitalism have killed hundreds of millions via colonization, imperialism, and maintaining spheres of influence. So free markets to strong centrally control - both models have killed many people but given that mercantilism, industrialization and capitalism started the slaughter in the 15th century as port of empire building and has covered the entire globe – your socialism is the worst offender argument looks even lamer.

Lastly – stop lying. No one has ever said or advocated this ‘leftists love to bash Christianity and want it eliminated’

What many many people want is secularism. To be free from laws written by evangelical white men that privilege Christianity over all else. Actually, to remove religion from the government – as your founding fathers argued for. No religious test for participation in the govt or to receive gov’t services and protections. Something you and your fellow alt-righters conveniently ignore.

#11. fjwjr Sigh. It becomes more and more evident that you really just repeat Fox & Friendly talking points and do not consider what you are actually saying.

‘how the people who pay the most receive the least amount of services while those that pay the least receive the most services.

First off, once again very Christian of you. Jebus would argue that those who have been lucky and possess extra should share it with the less fortunate no? Not in fjwjr ‘s Ayn Randian world. I got it; I earned it – mine mine mine. I do not want to share with the takers.

First, would you agree that the working poor should be exempt from additional taxation?

Probably not but luckily, most modern societies try to ease financial burdens on the least well off. So that is already going to skew things. The poor, the elderly, children, disabled, etc are not going not be able to contribute as much but they will still use revenue collected from taxes. Or are you opposed to the whole idea of a social welfare net?

Or better yet should the poor, the elderly, children, disabled etc stil pay taxes.. is that what you want?? For all to contribute regardless?

Then, assuming for the sake of argument an exponential / progressive rate of taxation (more money = more taxes and no deductions) the people who pay the most do so because they have made the most. It is called a progressive tax rate. How can a rich person use more of the basic social services that taxes fund? That is just an asinine argument. I assume they could try to use more roads or infrastructure or armed forces etc etc but the fact is that it is the society and the safety and stability that it provides which is what allowed them to accumulate more wealth than others and as part of the social compact – yes they do end up giving more back than they put in. It is called progressive taxation and living and paying for a modern society that takes care of all its citizens – irrespective or race, creed, religion and social class.

Do you every pause and think how self-centred and selfish you are when you posit such inane arguments? I am a self-made man. Fine but you have been able to succeed because you have electricity and fire departments and a military to protect you and roads to drive on and health care for your veterans etc. etc etc

Honestly, taxation is always odious, no one like to pay taxes, but it an obligation for living in a city and state. You really need to grow the f*ck up and think like a citizen for once and not some pissy ant-gov’t alt righter.

And ‘forced to pay for things you are barred from using’ WTF are you talking about?

Lastly, since when did you care about the wealthy paying too much in taxes and not getting enough in return? I am calling bullshit on this supposed argument. What you are really complaining about is the alt-right gripe that their taxes are going to things and people (see after school lunch programs and brown and black poor people) that you feel are undeserving. You want more of a say in how your tax dollars are spent. Never mind that is not how it works and I imagine many of your American comrades would elect to not pay for endless foreign wars and drone strikes.

#3. Snotraddict. You have really outdone yourself on the last 3 videos peddling your alt-right nonsense. I just talked about people making false claims, misstate facts, inaccurately or intentionally misrepresent a situation etc., to engage in straw man arguments – and you didn’t fail to disappoint.

On cue – case and point.

>#3. Snotraddict ‘A fair amount of those people who don't pay taxes, actually get a tax rebate as well’

Good Fox & Friends talking points! But you have deliberately failed to distinguish WHAT taxes people are not paying, WHAT TAXES THEY ARE PAYING, and why because it would reveal your mistruths – yet again.

Let us use the 47% number presented by 2012 presidential candidate Mitt Romney.

He is referring to FEDERAL income tax.

Why don’t people pay it? A) Because they do not earn enough or with deductions etc they fall below the minimum threshold. These are not well off people.

What you failed to mention is that they still pay STATE, LOCAL and payroll taxes. And because they earn so little and they may be entitled to a refundable tax credit upon filing an income tax return for the year.

Get that. They earn so little they qualify for a rebate on taxes they paid via their payroll. That is the rebate – on taxes they already paid.

I have read that in reality only about 17% of all taxpayers had zero income and payroll tax liability and of that subset 60% were elderly.

Meanwhile 100 profitable Fortune 500 companies — nearly 40 percent — paid no taxes in at least one year between 2008 and 2015. Eighteen, including General Electric, International Paper, Priceline.com and PG&E, incurred a total federal income tax bill of less than zero over the entire eight-year period — meaning they received rebates.

I am not bothered by ‘people having different opinions’. On the contrary, I expect people to have different opinions and I try to learn from them. What bothers me, and I will bring in this video and #4. Snotraddict’s comments as examples – is when people make false claims, misstate facts, inaccurately or intentionally misrepresent a situation etc., engage in straw man arguments, deny the ideological stance of their position, demean / denigrate other people due to religion ethnicity class or culture, or make ad hominin attacks.

#3 camoga. Perhaps you don’t realize it but the ‘common sense solutions’ that you find appealing are a) the propagandistic talking points of the alt-right and b) often inaccurate and/or paint a misleading or inaccurate picture that is almost inevitably build a theme of ‘let’s go back to the good old days’ of a white society, patriarchy, and Judaeo-Christian cultural dominant society – NONE of which is actually demographically or economically possible in 2018. Most modern nations have changed due to immigration and inexorable social-economic changes for both the better and the worse.

The socialism video just make ludicrous statements about the tenants of Marxism, which I promise Sux2Bu and others have zero real knowledge about, university education, basic economics, etc. etc. That video was so rife with falsehoods, misstatements and inaccuracies – I do not know where to begin. It was uninformed silly propaganda.
Anyone with a modicum of knowledge of political science would tell you this. Or who has worked in higher education. Now knowledge is ‘elitist’ and we live in a world of ‘alternative facts’ so perhaps you could challenge yourself and read a bit – try the wiki pages for Marxism and Socialism. They are not bad. You be the judge. But please do not accept this drivel as accurate or truthful. Try to be a little bit sceptical...

As for #4. Snotraddict. These are slightly more compelling arguments, I agree higher and perhaps even living wages are a good thing, as is employing citizens or at least having jobs for them take, BUT you are using a very common conservative strategy – appeal to emotion over economic and social and cultural realities.

So Snoty, you are pushing up the minimum wage? Brilliant. You know who isn’t? Manufacturers, employers, and the US federal government. Higher labour costs lead to higher consumer costs and people refuse to pay more for their food, meals, hotel rooms, constructed building etc. etc. You have made a good but idealistic suggestion – one where the gov’t presumably steps in to force a higher wage because history is clear, the free markets will not do it on their own. That is very, dare a I say it socialist or even Marxist of you!!... forcing the free market to not move away from competition and to take care of its workers? Never imagined you as a stinking red Snoty.

If you want wage and price controls (which is what you are advocating) that equals govt intervention and you hate that. ;-)

> the propaganda that "they're just doing work that Americans won't do" when in fact Americans will do that work, just not for that cheap.

That is just a fallacy. You can pay (should actually) pay produce and fruit pickers much more but even at competitive wages Americans do not have the stamina to do this ruling dirty work. Ditto for dishwashing, cleaning etc. etc. It is now culturally below most Americans to do this work and companies cannot find Americans to fill such positions. This is a fact. For example Trump just hired 40 foreigners via a work visa system because he couldn’t get Americans to work at Mar-a Lago ;-) If Americans do not want to work there, a farm field etc. is impossible.

That is easy. The Iilluminati, George Soros, the Rothschild family, Jewish bankers (is there any other kind??), NASA, the World Bank, the Bilderberg Group, Muslims, the Lizard People, the US FDA, and Elvis. To name a few.

Never mind Umericans love the cheap produce they pick, the hotels they clean, the dishes they wash, and kids they look after and all of the other DDD jobs they do that Umericans refuse to because they are too demanding and the wages are too low. But lets ignore that and villify them. And make the claim that they are taking 'our' jobs. Bollocks. 98% of Americans wouldnt last a day in these labourers shoes.

Has Snotr become the alt-right American Christian right conservative grievance video site?

I am happy to play but this current crop of videos is just polemical rubbish and will drive people outside Umerica away. Please ease up on the Fox news, Breitbart, Drudge report, Daily Caller talking points.

More dogs jumping at water from hose please – less hateful anti-immigrant, anti-Muslimism, pro Ra Ra US Military videos please…

>This guy's understanding of the issue is just as simplistic and misguided as that of the brainwashed students.

Indeed, but I am reasonably certain that you will soon discover that Sux2bu and others also subscribe to this simplistic uninformed fearful worldview. I assume that is why Suxy posted it. He likes to provoke but never engage. Socialism bad because Fox news and like-minded videos like this told me so.

As I have pointed out before, Suxy and his ilk will demand their Medicare, their VA services, their industry and farm subsidies, (e.g. Trump’s 12 billion dollar bailout for farmers to cover the unnecessary damage he caused by a foolish trade war), etc. etc. and all of the other ways that the American gov’t ‘intervenes and interferes and directs’ the US economy via wealth redistribution and financial support but god damn it – that aint socialism. Actually, Fox & Friends it is. But by all means, deny away. You need an enemy and well Marxists have killed 100 million in the 20th century …. LOL… so painfully stupid.

Thanks again Thanny for the thoughts. Unfortunately coherent prose like yours scares the most insecure of the Snotr community away (i.e. those who find this rubbish video compelling or accurate or of value).

It is really just a case of trying of be reasonably well read and well-informed about world events, policies, practices etc. etc. and to not be a passive news and information consumer but to approach things with an inquisitive and critical mind-set.

All mass media is presented within an ideological framework and once you recognize that and try to get your information from a range of sources, not just from those that support your worldview, then the world becomes infinitely more interesting IMHO. And descriptions that contain worlds such as ‘drones’, ‘precision strikes’ and ‘saving lives’ immediately jump out as representing as ideological position – one that many parts of the world would take issue with in terms of truth and veracity. Fact is drones are controversial because of the civilian deaths.
Knowing this – easy quick research to find the organizations that keep track of such statistics. The google machine is most helpful but you have to know what you are looking for. And how to assess the information presented.

Glorifying drones and ignoring the civilians deaths was easy and clearly, Suxy put it up to be provocative.

People have asked why did Snotr become so political and polarized – well look at the context that is being posted. Drones, my kid is a socialist, anti-muslim vids… There is your answer.

Anywho – I read, I question, I try to know the issues and the different perspectives and I respond accordingly. And to facilitate discussion I will not hesitate to present another perspective, one that may contain facts an or empirical data. Those pesky facts and numbers and statistics … always causing problems ….. ;-)

It must be noted that drone strikes have also TAKEN hundreds of innocent lives as well.

Americans tend to overlook the ‘collateral damage’ and the hatred it engenders in generations of CIVILAINS not combatants towards the US and its foreign policy. Every civilian death probably gives rise to a new crop of recruits ready to sacrifice themselves.

This is not the consequence free weapon that most Americans think it is.

Long War Journal , which follows US anti-terror developments, records that as of mid-2011, drone strikes in Pakistan since 2006 had killed 2,018 militants and 138 civilians.

The New America Foundation stated in mid-2011 that from 2004 to 2011, 80% of the 2,551 people killed in the strikes were militants. 20% or 510 were civilians or non-combatants.

In 2012, 15% of the total people killed by drone strikes were either known civilians or unknown.

The Bureau of Investigative Journalism say the rate of civilian casualties for 2012 is 9 percent –
At least 385 civilians were among the dead, including more than 160 children.

The Obama administration estimated in June 2016 that US drone strikes under Obama had killed 64 individuals conclusively determined to be non-combatants, in addition to 52 individuals whose status remained in doubt.[

It has been reported that 160 children have died from UAV-launched attacks in Pakistan and that over 1,000 civilians have been injured.

Reporting has found that known militant leaders have constituted only 2 percent of all drone-related fatalities
The New America Foundation estimates that for the period 2004-2011, the non-militant fatality rate was approximately 20%.

Total bullshit post. Not appreciated or funny in any way. Cohen’s character deceived Rep Jason Spenser and made him say those words. And come on, between us, who has not screamed racial or bigoted epitaphs? Great way to lose followers. Let us see how much you care. I can replace this site in a breath. I feel no need to clarify why but I will anyway. INFOWARS and QAnon on 8chan post far better and more honest videos about Muslims, libtards and their paedophile Hollywood buddies. Now those are thoughts and words I can believe in. Those are real facts and truth not like this bullshit. And you knew damn well why when you posted this shit. Are we clear?

‘She stirs controversy against things like this to open your mind to what is going on’

Bollocks. There is proper investigative journalism, which exposes things in the public interest, and then there is a right wing anti-Muslim hater who is just spoiling for a fight. She even said ‘can I go criticise Islam?’. That is not objective, she is there to denigrate and whip up anger and hatred.

The police were very professional and maintaining the public peace.

No go zones are an alt-right construction based on racist and anti-religious fears. Every city in the world has had ‘no-go’ zones forever. They are called slums, the inner city, shantytowns, favelas, townships etc. etc. – where the poor and economically disadvantages are warehoused. When people with no money or rights or future are jammed together in a district then lawlessness can occur.

Have you been to South Williamsburg and Borough Park in New York? That is all orthodox Jew and they dislike and distrust outsiders (non-Orthodox Jews). In addition, they use a Jewish form of religious (sharia) law, called Halakha to settle local disputes. Where is the outrage?

These type of enclaves happen in big cities and countries all over the world.

And this is just mind numbingly silly comment

> way too much power for muslims here [Australia] which you don't see any other religion doing.

Really. In OZ Christmas and Easter are big celebrated holidays. Christianity and Christian holidays are forced on everyone regardless of his or her religion. And conservative Christian politicians are passing laws and regulation reproduction, immigration, marriage equality (although they just lost this) etc. etc.

>She's right, Australia is NOT a multicultral country

WTF? Just because Lakemba, 15 kilometres south-west of the Sydney central, population‎: ‎17,023 attracted enough Muslims to become the majority religion and they transform the city in a way that appeals to their cultural and aesthetic values and now Australia is NOT a multicultural country?

What a silly argument.

Yes, Christianity is under attack. Sigh. Christians have no voice or power.

#19. Ughlah. Respectfully. [how extremist positions have become over the course of the last few years] and [In fact this is true for both sides of the argument]. This is nonsense.

You are attempting to play the both sides do it card and that is simply not true or supported by the facts / posts.
I have been on Snotr for ages and what got me active was the stream of blatantly racist, bigoted, anti-immigrant, and Islam & Muslim statements that started appearing with increasingly frequency.

Therefore, I started to push back.

If a position of mine is ‘extremist’ it is only because I am asking for fairness, equality, respect for others, and to not allow racist and bigoted statements to go unchallenged. For this, I have been called a woman, a socialist, a social justice warrior or SJW (a term I had never heard before) as if any of these terms are negative.

I think what you have observed, the open racism, the proud bigotry, the proud spouting of ethno nationalistic positions and opinions and the naked racialization of some who post on Snotr is related to the election of Trump in America and the unloading of a lot of white Christian lower and middle class heterosexual male anxiety and fear. And the reign of President Blackenstein was just too much for some Americans to handle. And in Europe, we have the rise of ethno nationalism, the EU inequalities, and the problem with massive refuges pouring in from the Middle east. And this is just a few of the factors.

The world has become increasingly polarized and people are getting their news from sources that only support their positions. Critical thinking, scepticism, and making a proper argument with supporting evidence is now seen as something elitist.

Many of the worst offenders on Snotr just shout, lob racist or bigoted insults, and scamper away. They never engage. I suspect that they cannot intellectually – I know what I know and that is good enough for me. The worst thing you can ask is to have them reflect on their hatred, mistrust, or fear of others. I hate X (and thus all of X) because an X did something to me or my family once.

This is so utterly simplistic it is painful. But if you live your life in fear of the other, of the non-white, of the non-Anglo-Saxon, of the now Christian it is all you can presumably do.

Snotr became a haven for racist and bigoted postings; I just started to call these people out for their hateful crap. To suggest that pushing back against this is somehow equivalent is a false equivalency.

Doesnt the overt racism and bigotry and hate for others expressed by some on Snotr not offend you?

#7. nomaddaf [Total horse shit post. Not appreciated in any way. Great way to lose followers] [You knew damn well, why when you posted this shit. Are we clear?]

Oh, boo hoo nomaddaf. Cry us a river. Could you be any more of an insecure, thin-skinned, bigoted Islamophobic hypocrite?

I wish your reaction would have come as a surprise but it did not. You are completely fine with something that agrees with and confirms your biased hateful fearful worldview (i.e. Thrown Out Of Sydney No Go Zone), a video by a known Canadian anti-Muslim activist trying ratchet up tensions in a small Australian city, but a very creative satirical prank, that pwns both sides left and right BTW, is not funny and enough for you to take your toys and run away?

Was this video that threatening?

Must have been hard to see the prejudice and hate and racism and ugly Islamophobia expressed by some on the Kingman audience tossed into you face. This is what YOU, Woodhatch, Dennis53, eupatriot, Crazyhorse479, Sux2bu, bella1, snotraddict, Fjwjr and the others believe and espouse all the time on Snotr when the topic of Muslims or immigrants comes up. Same ugly nonsense. That had to sting. But it was accurate. Perhaps that is why it cut so much deeper.

Must have been painful to see yourself reflected in the Kingman audience. Boo hoo. Sometimes discomfort is necessary because with most people, it makes them reflect on their opinions and beliefs and why they hold them. Or for the less inclined, they pout, stomp thier feet, grab up thier toys and threaten to run away and never come back and play again.

This was LOL comedic brilliance. It equally pwned both sides. SB Cohen’s character, Dr. Cain-N'Degeocello, epitomized the worst of the left’s impulses and positions and rhetoric. How did you not appreciate and laugh that? And it skewered the right anti-Muslim segment by revealing them in their own words and ugly racism and bigotry. Too close to home for you, I guess.

"Okay, so you are all for plan 2" and “Partially funded by the Clinton foundation” was ROFLOL material.

Honestly, take your hate and vitriol towards others and run away if you feel that threated and can't intellectually engage or process things. Far be it for you to self-reflect and perhaps learn something about yourself and your worldview by engaging with others in the Snotr community. Run away and be safe in your hatred for others. Some would call that the definition of cowardice.

#14. bella1 ‘was your extended family and friends murdered by Islamic extremist back in the early 90s’ ?

In fact, yes, my extended family and friends were murdered by extremists, I am a Palestinian Muslim living on the West Bank and the extremists murderers were Israeli Jews.

In fact, yes, my extended family and friends were murdered by extremists, I am a Rohingya Muslim living in Myanmar and the extremists murderers were Buddhist Myanmar soldiers.

In fact, yes, my extended family and friends were murdered by extremists, I am a Kurdish Muslim living in Iraq and the extremists murderers were Muslim ISIS fighters.

In fact, yes, my extended family and friends were murdered by extremists, I am a Catholic living in Belfast and the extremists murderers were Protestant terrorists.

In fact, yes, my extended family and friends were murdered by extremists, I am a Protestant living in Belfast and the extremists murderers were Catholic terrorists.

In fact, yes, my extended family and friends were murdered by extremists, I am a Bosnian Muslim living in Bosnia and the extremists murderers were Christian Orthodox Serbian soldiers.

In fact, yes, my extended family and friends were murdered by extremists, I am a Tutsi living in Rwanda and the extremists murderers were Hutus.

I am a German Jew, a Cambodian, an Armenian etc etc

What exactly is your questionable point bella1 ??

The fact is extremism is widespread and not a Muslim / Islam specific phenomenon. as much as you wish it to be. Humans are horrible to one another and have been for 1,000 of years – ever since the notion of theism popped into our scared little heads and we decided that the god that one group prayed to was better than another god that someone prayed to. Better kill that fella and his family and friends … and luckily my book says it is ok to kill apostates and nonbelievers!! Justified murder? Excellent, better get on with it.

The fact is extremists exist in just about all modern day religions, they are a perverted minority, sick fuckers who don’t represent the religion as a whole but by all means single out Islam as THE religion of terror. That is a reasonable position... As others have stated this conveniently, leaves out a long history of religious violence and the horrors committed in the name of other god or gods.

Muslim extremism is just the latest but to generalize the entire religions goals, actions, and beliefs on the actions of a small minority of its followers is pathetic, bigoted, and racist.

Do you really think it is acceptable to blame all for the actions and words of a few?

The fact is a great majority of Muslims, like Jews and Christians and Hindus and Buddhists just want to get on with their lives. Coexistence has been the norm for many centuries. That is until geopolitics and economic disparity and corrupt governance create such hopelessness that the idea of religiously inspired revolution sounds appealing to those who have nothing and will never be allowed to have a life beyond simple basic existence.

#2. ringmaster. Ok. The answer to was it staged is both yes and no. Yes, in that Sasha Baron Cohen played the character of Dr. Cain-N'Degeocello. Staged in that his production company pulled an elaborate prank on some residents of Kingman, AZ under the guise of an investment focus group.

Where to begin? This is the worst of all possible situations but anything is justified in support of Islamophobia. And this is not to say religious extremism is acceptable, it is not, but Muslims are not the only offenders.

First, she is a right wing anti-Muslim extremist who is clearly intent on stirring things up. She is not objective in any sense of the word. The police officer was remarkably professional (why has no one acknowledged that?) and he asked her not to go there out of a concern for public safety. He has the right to deny her access and the duty and obligation to keep EVERYEONE safe.

Her intentions are clear. ‘Would I be allowed to talk to people and criticize Islam’? In front of a Mosque. That is just an asshole move. Full stop. She is not interested in dialogue but confrontation and hopefully violence because that supports her narrative and worldview.

A Klansman would legitimately be denied access to a black church and a Nazi to a synagogue. She is no different.

And when she is denied access to protect public safety, she retorts ‘As far as I am concerned you have sharia law here’. That is just reductive, stupid and really shows her for what she is – a bigot with a camera spoiling for a fight so she can advance her agenda. Good on the copper for stopping her.

5. eupatriot your argument is so childish “she "stirs up racial and religious hatred" but what about Muslim videos etc. etc.’. Therefore, you are agreeing that you are not better than the worst minority of the Muslim world. Two wrongs do not make a right. You ilk quickly forget your superior Jebus teachings... So childish.

2. woodhatch. ‘the fear of the authorities to do anything to stop it’. No, the authorities are trying to balance the rights of religion and assembly and free speech in a multicultural and multireligious city. Just because she cannot provoke a fight, when she wants does not mean that police have given up. This is a typically selfish and idiotic kind of argument for this situation – if I cannot do what I want when and how I want – discrimination. Ignoring the consequences. You cannot yell fire in a crowded building when you want to, is that nullifying your freedom of speech? In your myopic selfish world – yes.

5. eupatriot. ‘You don’t understand how this population replacement works with Islam’
So all Muslims are the same. One homogeneous group with same goals? Really? Clearly, you have no idea what you are talking about. As if that wasn’t obvious before.

5. eupatriot. ‘ ... while all you libs have your pants down saying "refugees welcome"
Because every refugee is an Islamic extremist. This is just a fact. Perhaps in your bigoted ignorant head. You smear all Muslims… I hope you do the same for all Evangelicals (they have violent zealots), Jews (again violent ultra-orthodox minority, Hindus, Catholics, Protestants etc. etc. Every major religion has its nutter extremist segments that kill and destroy in the name of their god but only Muslims are called out. Wonder why? Your bible calls for the death to all non belivers as well, many times, but you like to keep that bit quiet.

Violence and ultra-conservatism and preservation of traditional values and wanting to carve out a space in a new country is not unique to Islam. All religions and religious immigrants have done this historically. Muslims are just the most recent. Why? Perhaps it is because the United States decided to upend and destabilize that part of the world with its foreign policies and military adventures. But that is another topic.

#3 JJ The guy may have [a brain the same as yours and mine] but only in terms of the most basic physical elements and even then – not terribly accurate. He clearly suffered a great deal of neural and possibly cortical damage due to oxygen deprivation. It is even possible that sections of his brain are neutrally ‘dead’ so his brain, due to tragedy, is not the same as your or mine.

What is amazing is the plasticity of the brain and the ability of the brain to re-wire itself around damaged areas. And the brain’s ability to still work even when damage has occurred. His motor functions are impaired, his speech, the articulators, etc but he perseveres.

Of course it should be mentioned that the cost of his care must be astronomical and thanks to Obama his pre-existing conditions could not be held against him nor could insurance caps be placed to deny him health care. Thanks to Trump that has all been rolled back. One has to wonder about the anxiety he feels once again as he is most likely forced into bankruptcy and must become a ward of the state to get basic health services because Trump decided that such a minimal safety net for the most vulnerable of American citizens was too costly for the insurance companies.

#1 you do not have to take a vanity photo of your kill.
#2 snotraddict why not? People take photos of their accomplishments for all sorts of things.

Yes snotty, people do take photos of their accomplishments (or kills in this case) but once again, you seem to have forgotten to apply any critical thinking skills to this situation. In a simplistic reductionist perspective, yes, you have a point – it is her ‘right’ but that is ignoring the complexity of the situation and the law of preventable unintended consequences. Just because you can do, something does not mean it is the right or smart thing to do.

Shooting a giraffe for any reason, even a legitimate one, is going to cause an uproar. That is just a known known.

IMHO, the real issue is not even the triumphant pose that she took with the dead animal although given the critter’s size and the modern high calibre gun and the assumed controls over the entire ‘hunt’ / culling this was hardly a sporting accomplishment.

It was the posting on social media. That was just a stupid provocative move and should have / could have been avoided and none of this would have occurred. But the people who pay for this kind of sanctioned exotic animal hunts are almost always hunting and gun zealots and so their rights to their sport and the right to share supersede any common sense – like setting her Facebook or whatever images to private and sharing with just people who appreciate this kind of thing. I have to believe that by posting it, she was also taking an ideological stance and that was guaranteed to cause blowback.

Quite honestly, this sounds like a very reasonable culling. A bull that is past breeding and is killing younger healthy giraffes needed to repopulate the herd sounds like a wildlife management issue and culling was probably the only option. But why the photo on the internet? Egotism most likely. That was just a needless and selfish provocation that should have been avoided IMHO. For all parties.

#1 JJ. Deep breath my friend. Your anger is wasted. I am reasonably certain, after a bit of inquiry, that the user ‘earntodiessaz’ is most likely a bot. The account was created 3 hours ago and will be blocked once admin sees it. This profile exists on a number of forums for the past month or two and it rarely if ever has posted anything. I suspect given Snotr’s lax subscription protocol that the bot scours the internet looking for places to subscribe. The spammer will then follow up later with the automated message to all accounts that were successfully created. You can find these scripts on-line. Bot scripts. This is why most sites now go for a 2 stage authentication or use a captcha image verification process to make sure the new subscriber is human.

‘earntodiessaz' is almost certainly a disposable account that has served it purpose - to deliver a spam payload and then be blocked. There is no person on the other end of it.

You annoyance is justified but you are almost certainly shouting into the wind. My advice, just ignore these occasional spam posts. Save you words and wit for those who can respond ;-)

It takes a special kind of country to think that civilian ownership of a .50 calibre Desert Eagle is somehow responsible and falls under self or home protection.

No one needs a .50 calibre for self or home or family protection. That bullet will penetrate multiple things and travel forever. Perfect for civilian home use where you have kids … or anyone living next door.

This is the insanity of America. This sad situation occurred in the state of Minnesota.

In Minnesota a state permit is required to purchase a handgun from a store BUT state law does not require background checks for private gun show sales. Are background checks required for private sales? No. Training required? No. Waiting period? no. Firearm registration? No. Owner license required? No.

So if you don’t buy at a gun store, which most people don’t, you don’t need any training, a licence, or to register it. Or common sense apparently. Just the cash.

And that is how you end up with a young man holding a book against his chest as protection against a .50 calibre at 2-3 meters and a 22 year old widow with 2 children.

Only in Umerica could you legally put a weapon like that with such power in the hands of a completely untrained novice. And not see a problem with that and defend this idiot couple’s unfettered right to own it.

and #4 snotraddict Sadly the delicious irony of your response is almost certainly lost on you.

No, on second thought, it is absolutely lost on you as is the absurdity and predictability of your reaction to this video, the comments and the cognitive dissonance you must feel when faced with the word ‘gender’. Boyz is boyz and girlz is girlz and that is how God made em. What more do I need to know??

If you got a peen then act and present like a man dammnit. And if you got a cooter then be ladylike. Why ya’ll got to make it so confusing? Back in my day we didn’t have such problems. I blame Obama.

#1. ringmaster given that this comedy bit is about ‘Genderflecting’ on the binary notion of gender; the ‘other’ category that Suxy posted it under is quite apropos, no? One could even call it witty and clever…

The mere presence of someone that you may disagree with is enough to invalidate the opinions, ideas and beliefs of the host? Sigh. And what a perfect example of Umerican conservative thought and discourse.

Michael Moore is an unabashed leftie. Ok. He doesn’t hide it. He champions these political values. Great. If you have confidence in your own beliefs and opinions and value free speech and expression then you should ideally enjoy the opportunity to debate the ‘other side’. You may not like it #2. Snotraddict but Moore is also legitimately arguing for liberty, freedom and protections and rights etc etc – how much more American can that get?? Or just dismiss him and remain righteous and ignorant.

And #2. Snotraddict, not that you could have known, but at the start of the show Maher interviewed Ben Shapiro. Conservative Daily Wire Editor-in-Chief and syndicated radio host. So if fair is fair so sitting next to him should also drop Maher’s credibility about 10 fold, yes? Sigh. What a stupid statement and it is so indicative of American political discourse

This is why you have Trump. And why America deserves Trump and the damage that he is doing to its institutions and reputation. Just because Trump is a dangerous know-nothing #2. Snotraddict doesn’t mean you have to be one too.

#8. sux2bu you hit the nail on the head when you wrote ‘#4 That is not proven science and so many other factors go into the studies on it.’

That is PRECISELY it. Full stop. This cuts equally both ways. Human longevity is incredibly complex and subject to so many confounding variables, some of which remain unknown unknowns. The interplay between genetics, environment, behaviour, choices made over a lifetime etc etc are simply to complex to be reduced to any legitimate declarative statement regarding the impact of eating meat versus vegetarianism versus veganism versus all the shades in-between.

But that doesn’t stop us from having staunchly held positions like monkeyboy, nomaddaf etc etc and often regressing into the righteous defence of our own life choice vis-à-vis the choices made by others.
I think #5. Judge-Jake eloquently expressed and then alluded to most important part and often ignored part of this debate and that is reflecting on where our food comes from, how it is grown / raised, how it is processes (killed, packaged and utilized) and the environmental impact – now and for future generations.

I like the taste and demand to eat meat. Ok, but the financial and environmental cost per hectare to raise animals plus the hormones and antibiotics that go into meat production now should give all pause. We are rapidly moving towards antibiotic resistant strains of bacteria due to the widespread use in every facet our foods and supply (to increase yield and earning) that will kill many many people – that is a scientific fact. So your demand for a cheap steak or burger destroys the planet for your grandchildren and makes us al vunlerable to superbugs. . Great.

Soy and alternatives are the answer. These also encourage the cutting down of valuable rainforest lands and they threaten long held eating traditions. Quorn is a soil mould, a fungus, and that turns people off. Gross. Veggie alternatives are getting much better but it takes time to change long held and often culturally embedded practices and traditions. And mind-sets.

The polarization around this issue still amazes me. Demanding to eat meat and going vegetarian are really two ends of the same cult. Both can be equally righteous, determined, stubborn and annoying.

Personally, I think one should be cognizant of where their food comes from, how it is grown / raised, the environmental impact, and the health implications, to make moderation a principle in dietary choices – and remain open minded and respectful of others. Until provoked otherwise ;-)

#5. Judge-Jake … now that is the JJ that I knew was lurking out there. ;-) Articulate, interesting and still manages to surprise in the most interesting of ways. A committed a pescatarian and Quorn advocate?!! . Good on you!
And of course, your very good suggestion to all to go red meat free was bound to wind someone up.

#6. nomaddaf …. #4. monkeyboy may make some controversial and dubious claims but you are hardly free from spouting utter nonsense.

#6. nomaddaf ‘Man lives longer and better now than any other time in history.

Yes, but that is for a million reasons and very little if any have to do with eating red meat. Vaccines, agronomy, an understanding of genetics… sigh.

In today's NY Times 'Since 1900, average life expectancy around the globe has more than doubled, thanks to better public health, sanitation and food supplies. https://nyti.ms/2IBedxF Meat is NOT considered a factor.

#6. nomaddaf ‘I have never met a healthy vegetarian’

Well that is just a silly and stupid statement. You surrender any legitimacy with such rubbish. Actually people who invest time and make such decisions about their diets tend to be more conscious and healthy. That is just a fact.

#6. nomaddaf ‘My family lives on meat’.

Bully for you and your kin but their longevity almost certainly has little if anything to do with meat consumption. There are so many confounds that affect life expectancy, both positively and negatively, and to point to eating meat as the answer is just not supported by the science. It is far more complicated.

I do not know what some meat eaters are so incensed by any suggestion to either reduce, remove, or look for meat alternatives. It is like a gun to an American. It is my right as a human to eat meat. How dare you suggest otherwise!!! Easy Nancy… it was just a suggestion. Eating meat in moderation is recommended by all respectable doctors.

However, by all means, trumpet your silly meat ‘make me live long time’ reductionist argument. No one but you is falling for it.

#5 5. Geekster (admin) with all due respect by blocking a specific IP address you may have unintentionally cut Snotr off from a wide range of potential viewers not just the spammer.

Did you check to see who or what was hosting the IP address? Was it dynamically or statically assigned? Most IP addresses assigned today by Internet Service Providers are dynamic IP addresses. So, while well intentioned, your effort was probably useless. In addition, any spammer worth anything will just switch to a proxy server and have access to Snotr again.

Plus if the spammer was using a popular VPN then you have locked out perhaps hundreds of people. Most VPNs like to use shared IP addresses that are shared by hundreds of users so that each user can remain anonymous.
Did you check out any of this before blocking out the spammer’s IP address? You literally could have cut off a whole geographical region by your ban.

If you want to stop spammers, you need to upgrade your registration protocol. Making it a multi-step verification procedure will deter the annoying register hit and run spammer.

Blindly banning an IP address is not the way to keep a website that, last I read, was barely staying afloat in terms of viewers. Did Snotr ever find a buyer?

#1 JJ. Your usual fool routine is one thing but this oft recycled ‘admin IP address deal with his hard drive’ rubbish when spam pops up just reveals your ignorance in the most painful way. Granted that has never stopped you before but this has reached the mercy threshold.

For your sake, please stop. It is painfully embarrassing. You clearly have no f-ing clue what you are talking about with respect to anything regarding networking, IP addresses and remotely accessing a hard drive. You clearly watch too much telly. Your gibberish probably encourages spammers since anyone who makes such a threat clearly is pulling stuff out of his aged arse and confirms that the spam has been read. Best to ignore it and then block the sender’s email address. Quietly.

Its not the yellow pole(s) that do the bulk of work but the concrete blocks or bollards. I would guess given the big glass entrance and that section of road and the desire to protect thier patrons that this has happened before.

It must suck to be you fjwjr … living in perpetual fear over [showing that you like or enjoy something because it may offend someone].

I am left wondering what you like or enjoy so much that offends others so much in America....
Is it stinky foreign cheeses? Those can put people off…
Tiibetan throat singing? That is an acquired taste.
Working in your yard in the nude? A man’s home is his castle…
Wearing a bow tie? Many people cant appreciate the look..
Oh, is it wearing a muscle t shirt and a gold chain? That is kind of daggy
Cat calling women from your worksite? Women no longer appreciate the attention unfortunately. So many are uptight b*tches nowadays.
Or is it something simple like your socio-economic class, ethnicity, religion or sexual orientation??
Straight white lower and middle class Christian males are really the new second class citizen in America… I feel for you. We all do. The hardships that you endure on a daily basis must be brutal. And unimagineable by other Americans...

#1. snotraddict ‘I heard there was dissension amongst the pink pussy hat protestors because as a woman you can't make the assumption that everyone has a vagina’

Is this another story taken from InfoWars? The fact that you feel this is a credible source of information is laughable if you know anything about the disgusting conspiracy theories that Alex Jones peddles on that site.

So you make a broad statement, for outrage purposes, but gives no indication of evidence of how widespread or shared this sentiment is. And in fact you honestly can’t assume everyone who presents in female normed clothing and attire has female genitalia. The point of this pushback is to make people aware of the transgendered population – a minority that is often overlooked. It is just challenging assumptions which is healthy in my opinion.

Furthermore, a reasonable IMHO argument has been made that not only is the pink pussyhat exclusionary offensive to transgender women and gender non-binary people who don't have typical female genitalia but also to women of colour because their genitals are more likely to be brown than pink. These are nuanced arguments that reflect how a movement has grown and become more refined and sensitive to its constituents and their identities. Or we can just mock it as PC nonsense.

#5. Judge-Jake. I imagine it is my training and background that allows me to write the way I do. I just think along these lines and it is not hard or time consuming to write a post on Snotr.

And #7 Snotty your claim that ‘PC is designed to shame and shut down discussion so that crowd is not so "open minded" like they love to claim’ is a predictable overgeneralization. Yes, some practitioners go too far, for example protecting students from descriptions or images (via art) containing sexual violence, is something I find to be utterly antithetical to academia, learning and free expression. But this is not a majority view. And this happens in all causes - right and left. However, the goal onthe left PC side here is recognition and awareness and respect and tolerance and equality for all people.

Social conservatives and InfoWar acolytes such as yourself would be fine if you wanted to keep your views and beliefs etc to apply to your own bodies and institutions but you don’t. Your values and values systems are imposed on others as are your judgements as to right and wrong, correct and incorrect, acceptable and unacceptable. And these manifest themselves in laws and public policy unfortunately. And too often your Bronze Age value system is inherently sexist, discriminatory, prejudicial, racist, patriarchical etc etc and quite frankly those of us who accept the implications / consequences of the Age of Enlightenment and modern science, medicine etc and believe in dignity and respect for all regardless of race, creed or religion do need to push back.

It is a fundemental question of tolerance and openness versus intolerance and tradition and the infallibility of God’s words. I know what side I am on.

Suxy why are you pushing this nonsense on Snotr? It took me 2 minutes to confirm my suspicions.

One reason why this video is not funny is the fact that it is Christian agitprop.

This is not humour but ideological propaganda which again why it fails to be funny. This is an unabashed Christian grievance rant attaching itself to a current event / meme.

The video was produced by Apologia Studios. Their declared goal is ‘is to spread Christ glorifying, gospel centred media where we confront topics in our culture with a biblical answer, while training Christians in the biblical worldview’ via ‘culturally engaging entertainment, sound theology and apologetics – suitable for the entire family’.
They believe that ‘Christians should be distributing Biblically-centered content that brings glory to God and outshines anything that the world can offer’.

This is subversive drivel Suxy. The goal is not to laugh but to indoctrinate in the name of Jebus.

Ugh. Again – social conservatives simply can NOT do comedy. Good comedy requires one to be self-aware, open minded and critical of one’s own positionality and that is basically the opposite of a Fundie world view where God has given the followers, and only these followers, the righteous and correct set of beliefs and all others are either sinners or apostates or in need of conversion.

That motivation, to righteously convert the heathen masses, rather than simple reflection and comment which is the basis for comedy, has always and will always make for piss poor comedy.

This wasn’t funny in the slightest and it just provides additional evidence that social conservatives simply can’t do comedy. Whinging and complaining and making ridiculous hyperbolic statements around disliked words and concepts and ideas is not itself humours or funny or witty; it takes a level of introspection and creativity to make something funny and a willingness to make fun of one’s own position, advantages, disadvantages, and privileged or lack thereof in society. Social conservatives approach such issues with a sense of piousness and righteousness and defensiveness and a grievance mind-set and this combination is never funny. It is a thinly disguised rant that comes from the fact that they often can’t recognize or are unwilling to recognize their own privilege and that, combined with the insistence that everyone must respect their intolerance for others, ironically in the name of tolerance, makes for lame humour like the pathetic effort in this video.

Hilarious Footage Suxy? I guess if you like Fox & Friends then this would be appealing. This is comedy for insecure straight white Christians who feel their world and values are under siege. It may be appropriate social commentary from your perspective but it is not funny or comedic at all. Grievance ranting is not comedy but thanks for playing.

I think people underestimate or just don’t recognize how ahead of its time in terms of critical social commentary this show was.

This episode aired in 1972 and in a prime time format it had a very popular black entertainer make a clear and direct link between slavery and the continuing bigotry and racism in the US. Things that the Archie character (almost 50 years ago) took great pains to deny or downplay. How much has changed since then? Sadly not all that much as we see in 2018 people like snotraddict say ‘‘Racism as defined, definitely happened and in some small extent still happens today’.

Racism and descrimination, the continuing institutionalized effects upon people of colour - this is a still very much a reality that black and brown people live with and deal with every day in the US, Europe and around the world. One just needs to look at ther econonmic, social, political and basic life expectancy / quality metrics. The reality is that a segment of the white population still hold racialized and discriminatory views towards non-whites to this day, they project thise views in both active and passive ways and thus fight and manipulate things to preserve the status quo of white power and dominance. So in a sense so not all that much has really changed since Archie's days, sadly.

Respectfully, it is not junk science that locks up some innocent people but it is unscrupulous prosecutors and district attorneys that utilize the results and testimony of these so called experts to secure convictions. The burden for this falls squarely on the prosecutor and his or her willingness to put these expert witness charlatans in front of a jury when they presumably know that the science of say bite marks is unproven – but that doesn’t stop them from presenting it as iron-clad.

Add in lab error, technician error, poorly trained technicians, possible contamination of samples and false positives and you have a system that is inherently unfair to those who don’t have financial means to pay for retesting in independent labs.

This is how people of means like OJ Simpson got off. Create about doubt about the science etc etc and beyond a reasonable doubt can’t be reached by a jury.

Expert witnesses are a self-regulating and accrediting for the most part in America. Prosecutors know this but still use them because they will get the proof they need to fit their theory of the crime and putting away supposed criminals gets prosecutors and judges re-elected time and time again. If you are poor or undereducated or lacking resources – you are f*cked. All people are actually not equal in the eyes of American legal system.

Horrifying? That is a lame adjective. Frightening perhaps but horrifying?

I guess it is horrifying if you consider the lax restraints on the ride but a good libertarian like you should appreciate the lack of big government overreach in terms of health and safety restrictions on this ride. A seatbelt is provided. The rest in common sense. What else do you need?? This is a libertarian’s dream no?

Oh – perhaps it is horrifying in that it is pedal powered. Ahhh now I understand! As an American the idea of having to exercise in an amusement park is probably horrifying. Apologies for the cultural insensitivity. Now if they could only make it clean coal powered or tar sands oil using – then it would be perfect. ;-)

And, this is not Suxy’s fault, this is not a roller coaster. It is an elevated tracked bike path. Big difference. This is a slow elevated pedal –o with a view. I imagine the thrill wears off after a while.

#10. Judge-Jake This is disappointing. Really. I expected better from you. To avoid big words – your argument is lazy and laden with silly inferences.

I have never suggested that a person is not entitled to defend his or her home, life, liberty or property. Of course they are. The question I asked was about the value of a human life and or the infliction of permanent crippling damage to a thief and possible bystanders vis-à-vis losing your bog standard Amazon package to petty theft.

Yes, statistics from http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/ were cut and pasted. It was to support a point. This is obvious (i cited the bloody website) and supported by original text. Your whinge is frankly silly.

The urgent medical equipment delivery for your daughter scenario is an example of a particularity lame straw man argument. If you had such lifesaving kit sent from abroad and didn’t make it a ‘sign on delivery / confirmation’ order then you are a complete idiot. This is a critical item to a person’s survival, please leave it on the porch if I am not home?? Please. I expected better from you.

And lastly to equate chasing off an intruder or a thief with a brush or punch with the lethality of damage potential of a bullet or bullets, to both the recipient and perhaps bystanders and property (bullets go through bodies and can carry on for a good distance and even penetrate walls) again shows your lack of ratiocination when dreaming up your scenario.

Guns, specifically bullets, are not analogous to fists, cricket bats and even knives. The latter require human contact and proximity with the recipient, are limited to the recipient, and will have varying degrees of force and thus wounds / damage. I have never heard of someone's Ferret Punch discharging, missing the target, and killing an innocent bystander. Or a knife or a fist etc.

Guns are unique in that they don’t require even close proximity to the target – they are lethal from 0-40 meters. Hitting a target in the heat of an exchange is very difficult even for trained police officers. I will aim for the leg or arm to wound argument is bollocks and not how trained people are taught to shoot – always aim for the body ‘centre mass’. Only in films to people hit what they shoot at. One can’t control the force and thus damage of the bullet once it is fired. Assuming just one is fired. Often police fire 5, 6 and 7 bullets and not even know it. And the damage that handgun bullets cause is horrific. They enter small, tumble and pulverize and liquefy and destroy their way through bones, organs and flesh to exit quite large. Ask ANY ER doctor or surgeon. All would much rather treat a knife wound (or a whack from a brush) due to the traumatic and often permanent damage caused by bullets.

> I'm pretty sure with enough blows especially if it's a hard bristle brush and a few savage lunges with the Ferret Punch, I'm fairly sure I could do as much damage as with a gun.

No, no you can’t unless you get very lucky. This is just silly and you should know better.

So back to the question. Is the potential level of lethality and or permanent damage appropriate for the crime of simple theft? Everyone seems to skirt this question in favour of 'its my right'. Ok - just because you may or may not have a right to point a loaded gun at a person is it the right thing to do??

Americans have protections against cruel and unusual punishments - is this not such a case? Is the value of a package equal to that of human life and /or permanent suffering??

And #11. snotraddict [possible death and or permanently debilitating injuries worth the value of an Amazon package?]

>If it's not your package, Yep.

How delightfully Old Testament of you. Thank goodness current laws and modern society don’t agree with your primitive value system.

#7. huldu ‘There was no way he was going to shot an unarmed man, even on his property.

First, how can you be so certain about that? Of course he could have. If the thief had paused on the street and 'looked threatening'? Then stand your ground laws may apply.

This is the problem with untrained civilians and guns and adrenalin and the haze of conflict and the power that a gun imbues the holder in such situations. Guns do go off and people do get shot quite frequently in America and almost certainly for something as unthreatening as theft.

1: Actual number of deaths and injuries 2: Number of INCIDENTS reported and verified
22,000 Annual Suicides not included on Daily Summary Ledger
Data Validated: May 23, 2018 http://www.gunviolencearchive.org/

‘Sense and Sensibility’….. my point and motivation exactly. ;-) Not enough of it when it comes to the uniquely American reification of freedom and independence over all other inalienable rights via the possession and use of the gun.

I simply asked all to think about what it means when we point a gun at another human – especially over something simple like a delivery package. Too often this calculus and these consequences are ignored in favour of the thrill of deterrence and rush of adrenalin one gets by control and power over others that a gun enables.

The image at 0.19 of the indigenous people in red body paint firing arrows at presumably a plane are NOT from North Sentinel Island but in fact are another uncontacted tribe living on the Brazilian-Peruvian border. I recognized this picture from a journal article from a few years ago.

I assume because the close up red bodies and fearful faces look better than grainy images shot from way offshore.

And before the ‘a man has a right to defend his home’ crowd wakes up across the pond and starts the inevitable cheer of that thief got what is coming to him and the handgun is a power equalizer and the man had every right to protect his property and and and – basically in the service of the goodness and utility of the civilian possession and use of handguns in neighbourhoods I would ask them to consider the following:

Is a human life at worst, potentially life-long debilitating injuries from a bullet wound, or the chance that an errant bullet hits a bystander (or his or her property) worth the value of an Amazon package?

Is it?

It may feel good to see a thief shit himself at the sight of a gun, the gun itself was not a deterrent. It was produced after the fact and only hastened his departure. So the deterrent argument is bullocks for anyone but the thief who know knows the homeowner has a gun.

And if you try to argue that by the act of thievery a human has potentially given up his right to life (or limb) then you are remarkably primitive in your thinking.

Theft is frustrating and annoying etc and thieves should be punished to the full extent of the law but should civilians be able to deliver that potential punishment with a gun?

A claim could almost be certainly made with the seller that the delivery company failed and thus full restitution is probably possible. (I have had lost and presumably stolen packages replaced with a simple email complaint). That makes this an annoying inconvenience no?

#42. Snotraddict ‘school shootings are down from the 1990's. I don't remember this much attention on it then’

Ahh – making a definitive claim, providing zero evidence or sources or numbers over time to back it up, and most importantly (the NRA trick) not operationally defining what you mean by a school shooting. This is critical to any research and subsequent claims.

First define school. What level is included and excluded. (sounds pedantic but it is important)

Then define what can count as a school shooting. (again, important)

This has included:
1. Shootings that happened on or near school campuses while classes were in session.
2. Shootings where students were present, such as ones on school buses or at school-sanctioned functions, such as athletic events and dances.
3. suicide-only incidents
4. shootings that occurred on or near school campuses when classes were not in session or at times students otherwise were not present.
5. And shootings on college and university campuses are often not included or they are included and the numbers mixed on.

What is not true is the number of mass shootings taking place in schools. Again – needs to be defined. 3 or more victims? 4,5?? All records indicate that since Columbine this number has increased.

Mass causalities due to gun violence has increased at educational institutions and elsewhere since the repeal of the assault weapons ban in the US under President Clinton. That is a fact.

May this help you to acheive true understanding so that meaniful and accurate dialogue can begin

#34. fjwjr – yikes! Looks like somebody woke up with sand in his vajayjay today.

Fatalistic much?

‘So if you eliminate guns they are going to use something else and learn to make them work and be more lethal.

So stick with the mass murder weapon you know and fear and can carry yourself rather than the one that could be worse?

That is really a depressing worldview mate. Do you even listen to yourself??

>And nobody ever went shooting students. What changed? Until you can identify that, the killing will never end. Bombs, knives, cars....it will never end.

Au contraire mon ami, I think you have identified it. The scourge of ‘liberalism’ and the liberal mind-set is what is causing all of these problems. If we could just go back to the America of the 1950’s where women knew their place, children could be beaten, black and minorities knew their places, the police were all white, queers and such remained in the closet, and a man could make a living wage on a blue collar factory job. Hell, America still had good paying blue collar factory jobs before the Mexicans and Chinses stole all of them away.

Those damn liberals ….. and Obama of course… they have just ruined Umerica for the rest of us. You know, straight white lower and middle class Christian males.

I thought I would just throw some predictable sad distinctly American words that no one cares to do anything substantive about into the conversation as well.

Yet another tragic school shooting in America.

Santa Fe, Texas, School Shooting: At Least 8 Dead and Suspect in Custody

SANTA FE, Tex. — A male student was taken into custody on Friday morning after a shooting spree inside a high school in southeast Texas left at least eight people dead, the majority believed to be students, the authorities said.

Sigh. If there had just been a good guy with a gun…. Oh wait… there was .....

‘One of the injured was an officer working for the Santa Fe school district as a school resource officer, said Joe Giusti, a Galveston County commissioner.’

And yet 8 people, children actually, died as a result of Americans placing a higher priority on their citizen’s right to bear and possess arms without infringement over the right of a child to go to high school and not be murdered by a gun by a disturbed classmate.

Only in Umerica. Nowhere else in the civilized modern 1st world.

And apologies for politicizing it so soon after an event. I know you NRA supporters prefer to punt and never discuss such problems.

oh I forgot - thoughts and prayers to the survivors but f*ck all in terms actual action to adress this problem.

If you make an informed and experienced qualitative assessment about anything artistic, and express your personal opinion as such, and defend them, and if that runs counter and thus doesn’t concur with some of the more prolific posters, you can get savaged and drawn into reductio ad absurdum arguments with some if you are not careful. ;-)

So your ‘kind of woman’ is out of your league, a Russian with American citizenship, has apparently done some modelling and is ½ your age. How very Donald Trumpian of you ;-) Just some friendly teasing...

Oh #11. Fjwjr.. Impressive. You allow someone else to carry your water (how weak is that?) and they fail and then you have the temerity to suggest that I have doubled down on a weak hand? Really?? We do need to play cards sometime and bring a lot of money – you are as bad at this game as you are with the use of card game metaphors.

And #10 snotraddict… all I can say is really???????? You must be trolling me.

‘Racism as defined, definitely happened and in some small extent still happens today’

In 2018, with the ethno nationalism on the rise around the world, your President Trump ran on a basically a platform of race baring, racism, xenophobia and white exceptionalism, how can you honestly make such a silly statement?? And it is not just America, this is happening in Europe and all over the world. You must be trolling me because anyone with a hint of awareness would never say such a silly thing,

[Disparity is not necessarily "racism"] and [the idea that disparity between races is racism].

You haven’t said it but you are making the classic conservative racism is dead, meritocracy prevails in America and anyone is free to achieve his or her dreams. Any disparity is people not living up to their full potential.

Again, wilful disregard and ignorance of the lost lasting and permeating effect that overt codified racism via laws etc. has had and continues to have to this day. It is called a lasting legacy. It may be illegal to legally engage in racist practices but does not mean that it doesn’t manifest itself in thousands of subtle and not so subtle ways.

The playing field for people of colour, for women, for religious minorities is NOT equal in America and to suggest it is just again intentional ignorance.

>One thing that occurs naturally and accounts for disparity far, far more than racism is Culture.

Wow. So economic, social, sexual, gender, political and power disparity in America is due to culture? And it just so happens that straight white Christian white culture happens to come out on top. All the time. That is an amazing coincidence.

‘If racism today is the same as it was before, then how come today the NBA has way more blacks on their teams than any other race?’

This is so silly it hurts. This is what counts as counter evidence or a counter argument???

#8. Fjwjr. Really? LOL. You find my speaking truth to power and a ludicrously naive analogy via a forceful (but polite) rebuttal that asks #4. Dennyboy for reflection and self-awareness before he embarrasses himself any further as the ‘most a-hole response [you]ve ever seen on Snotr’. Really?

Have you been on Snotr long? Jesus. Just look at the vitriol directed at me in the past year ;-)

Asking someone white to consider their privilege when complaining about an incident where they couldn’t get a beer in a bar when they wanted because of the colour of their skin is analogous to the content and issues discussed in the video???? Yet I am the a-hole?

Fjwjr you really are the quintessential ‘snowflake’ . Austin made me think about the unearned white privilege that I get simply for being a white man in America. Now I am going to make a poopy face and call him names like a-hole. Boo f-ing hoo.

The video was about the impact of systematic racism on black motorists and the steps they had to take to be able to partake in American life 50 years ago and even to this day - free from threats, violence or even death.

1st post basically commented how this was still in our lifetimes.
2nd suggested that this is still a reality in many places in the US in 2018
3rd was about police
And the 4th ,#4. Dennyboy, is basically a white man informing us that he has a shared experience because he was denied a beer due to reverse racism in 1966 in New Orleans.

Ahhh. No Dennyboy. You experienced prejudice and bigotry and perhaps hatred but you did not experience racism. And that was your clear inference. The conflation and simplification of this and packaging of it as ‘racism’ by those on the right leads to the specious claims of ‘both sides do it’ which is simply false. Racism requires power, authority, economic means, political control etc etc – something people of colour generally do not have. Racism requires a dominant not subordinate position in society – an asymmetrical balance that the Anglo-saxon white world has cleverly maintained for the past 500 years.

Reverse racism and ‘both- siderism’ is an empty talking point that allows whites, often politically conservative whites, to feel good about themselves and not feel motivated to engage in dialogue much less change.

Oh no, you were clearly a victim of the Fox News / GOP /right-wing / conservative construction known as “reverse-racism”.

And I am sure this traumatic experience made an indelible impression upon you given that you could now see American society (and the world for that matter) from the lived perspective of a black and brown person because you have been in their shoes and suffered the injustice of… no service and no beer when you wanted it and the humiliation of being forced to leave a drinking establishment.

#4. Dennyboy, how many times since 1966 were you denied a drink, food, service, entry, a loan, due process, freedom of assembly, housing, etc etc because of the colour of your skin?

More importantly – did this life experience change you in any meaningful way? Did you change your words, actions and conceptualizations of others as a result? What did you take away from this experience? Anything other than you were a victim of reverse –racism and thus racism is a weapon employed by all and thus not just a whites only thing?

#6. mwak 'The yellow jacket you see at the end on the ground is the ground traffic assistant that will guide him through the parking process'

Again, just like ASDA! Except at ASDA they are called 'ground parking attendants' and they are often considerably older than the one in the vid. ;-)

And these pilots have it easier because no one is leaving shopping carts in the way as they try to exit / take off...
Nor do they have to avoid some bellend in a kitted out Ford going full throttle towards the exit because he likes the manly outsized roar of his specialized exhaust pipes.... Lucky carrier pilots..

Well that didn't look so hard. He clearly signalled, looked over his shoulder several time to make sure there was no other traffic, lined up with the deck, put the plane down and came to a stop quite nicely. Then he pulled into a parking spot. Looked just like ASDA on a Saturday morning but only easier – no elderly pilots in planes rolling along at a snail’s pace looking to either park or take off but one is never sure because they often forget to signal.
Why do these carrier pilots get bragging rights? I dont get it...

#28. snotraddict (and I mean this with genunie sincerity) I appreciated you taking the time to present your thoughts and opinons and reflections immigrants and immigration. While I may disagree with some points these are your opinions and I respect them. And you for taking the time to explicate your position. Pity new snotr vids have been posted and we will inevitably move on but I hope we can return to this issue something in the near future.

#25 No arguement from me re gang related crimes. A good BBC article looks at a number of potential causal factors but at NO point are immigrants pointed to as the cause. Just pushing back on Suxy's fact free and fear inducing claims. Gangs and gang violence - a real problem however another another discussion.

I also should have mentioned #13. Snotraddict’s refusal / inability to see cause and effect when it comes to the NRA and the availability of guns in America.

13. Snotraddict ‘Over 60% are suicides’. Yes, there is a reason why America leads the world in suicide death by gun at 7.10 per 100,000 population per year and it is directly related to the NRA’s successful efforts to stop any sort of sensible gun regulation. You have to be either daft or disingenuous or deliberately ignoring this clear causal link.

And #13. Snotraddict if someone takes their own life via a firearm that is somehow not a bad thing or something that concerns you?? Or is not related to the American epidemic of gun violence? That is just twisted logic. Americans are using guns to kill themselves and others at unparalleled percentages relative to basically every other civilized modern country in the world. That is just a fact.

Americans lead the world in suicide by firearm because America is awash in guns and they are too easy to get thanks to the concerted and successful efforts of the NRA. Full stop.

Lastly, I hope people have taken notice of Suxy revealing his true xenophobic self again. #19 ‘Sux2bu ‘I wonder if the [murder] rate has gone up [in London] because of the many new arrivals to your country?’ Sigh.
Suxy’s mantra must be if you repeat a lie enough it will become true. Works for trump.

Anti-immigration groups have used fears of criminality and reports of increased crime rates in areas of Europe being directly affected by the refugee crisis.

A report by LSE in 2013 found that crime actually fell significantly in areas that had experienced mass immigration from eastern Europe, with rates of burglary, vandalism and car theft down since 2004.
The research concluded that there was “no causal impact of immigration on crime…contrary to the ‘immigration causes crime’ populist view expressed in some media and political debate”.

Brian Bell, a LSE research fellow, told the Guardian: “The view that foreigners commit more crime is not true. The truth is that immigrants are just like natives: if they have a good job and a good income they don't commit crime.”

Foreigner and immigrant and refugee bashing feels good to some and makes for a convenient right wing talking point but a great majority of the fears and simply not found to be true and or accurate when properly studied.

#16. sux2bu. When it comes to guns and the NRA you just can’t help but be disingenuous and misleading. Like a good NRA supporter.

When you are in a losing position – change focus and reframe the narrative.

‘#6 Why do you always bring up the NRA when ranting about shootings? NRA members are not the ones perpetrating crimes committed with guns, but they very often are the ones stopping a crime because they do have a gun’

No the NRA LEADERSHIP on behalf of its members have fought, bullied, threatened and bought off American lawmakers with campaign donations (an threats of funding primary challengers) so successfully that any proposed common sense gun reform laws are defeated or neutered before a vote. This is in spite of something like 90% of people and a 70% of NRA members supporting actions like universal background checks.

National registration database. Never. Allowing some categories mentally ill people to once again obtain fire-arms – done. Refusing to allow people on the no fly list to also be denied the right to buy a gun – rejected. Ending the gun show loophole where something like 40% of private sales with no checks take place – defeated.

Your claim about the goodness of the NRA is either an example of your ignorance or a deliberate lie. You have changed the focus to the members - clever. These are good people (presumably) but does leadership listen to them? Or respect their views? Polls suggest no.

‘The vast majority of murders committed in the US are committed by people who own guns illegally, which makes it highly unlikely that they would be members of the National Rifle Association’

Agreed but it is the direct lobbying action by the NRA that has allowed guns to flood American streets under the rubric of ‘protecting 2nd amendment rights’. That is just an empirical fact.

Your precious NRA defended the right to own Teflon coated bullets whose only purpose is to piece body armour. No hunter needs these but the NRA defended this right. Bump stocks. Again – NRA blocked any action.

Every significant effort to end gun violence and take illegal guns off the street has been successfully blocked by NRA lobbying. You point to good people as members but their fees are supporting an organization that has the blood of hundreds of thousands of men, women and children on their hands. And that is just a FACT.

Doesn’t the membership of an organization bear responsibility for the lobbying efforts and actions taken on their behalf by their leaders????

5 million NRA members have made gun violence a reality for 320 million Americans by not holding their leadership accountable. That is a disgraceful reality that you live with in America

Small, powerful engines ... ok... but f-ing tough regardless. That ship's anchor came straight down and didnt appear to do much more than perhaps dent the deck. Certainly didnt sink it. That is one well made little tug boat.

#14. ughlah with all due respect you couldn’t be more wrong re religion.

>Basically religion is something a society needs to explain things

Yes, to Bronze Age peoples who had no idea what a cell was, who had zero understanding of evolution, biology, meteorology, physics etc etc

> to have a moral compass,

Absolutely not true. This has been thoroughly debunked by primatologists, evolutionary biologists, etc etc. I suggest you read Christopher Hichens or Richard Dawkins or Daniel Dennett or even Sam Harris on this lack of validity of this claim. It is one religions like to make, without us as guidance moral chaos ensues, but it is provably false.

< to give meaning. Be it the multitheism with a god of the sea, the sky, the wind,... or a monotheism with the god of the sun who created everything or later versions of yet another wrathful creator, an loving fathergod. In all their variances all those theistic models do their job.

No. No they don’t. They ask you to believe, often in lieu of evidence, whereas science and the scientific method is evidence based and rigorous and predictive in nature.

> Science doesn’t and science cannot do that job.

Actually it does and does it quite well which is why the number of self-described believers in the 1st world countries has consistently dropped since the 20th century.

>But at times you will need more than that. You will need ethics, moral guidelines and a meaning to go on living. Science won’t give you that.

#3. oleHashow. I don’t think that the Snotr community has suddenly become populated with devout believers who don’t like your team god comment. I suspect the down-voting is because of your very peculiar and nonsensical definition of the term intellectual.

So to be an intellectual in your opinion, a person or persons has to hold the same opinion as you? That is basically what you have said. If you are with team god then you aren’t an intellectual.

I suggest you look up the word intellectual. And reconsider the logical implication s of such a statement. There are plenty of people I would consider intellectuals in the world that I don’t agree with but that doesn’t make their opinions any less valid. It may make them wrong in my eyes but that in itself is a value judgement. By considering yourself as the locus of truth and accuracy and validity and dismissing those who disagree with you then you retreat into a self-reinforcing echo chamber or bubble. And from that come the polarization that now pervades the modern world. Throwing critical thinking and research and reflection etc etc out the window so we end up with ‘ I know what I know and it is right’. How do you ever learn new things and expand / refine your worldview? Or is that not an issue for you? IMHO one only learns and grows when he or she is challenged.

Whoa! Did not expect the topic Jordan Petersons to pop on Snotr. Well done Geekster!
I have to ask, what is your interest in his work and/or ideas? The man is a serious scholar and quite the lightening rod in academic and political circles. I may find many of his social science arguments to be wrong and/or blindly anchored in privilege or but he is a polished intellectual and certainly makes people think – which is a good thing.

#12. oleHashow. Oh no. I am having trouble following you at times again but that is ok.

>#11 i dont need to tell you we are all unique.

Yes, I think we are on the same page ;-)

>You must understand that diamond i found isnt cracked so i have to question what i think is bs from your side.

a) 'You must understand that diamond i found isnt cracked'
Like the Voynich manuscript this also defies decoding so I have no idea what you are taking about.

b) 'have to question what i think is bs from your side'.
So in your own words, and applying basic logic, if you have to question what you think is BS from my side actually means that you agree with me?? Ok then. Fantastic! We are in agreement? Yes, we are in agreement. Ok then!
>TBH looks more like they didnt really decode it. Best bet is they wanna tailor it to history.

Yes…. And OK. I think we agree here as well. I suspect they are just making their best educated guess. I don’t think they have any nefarious or self-interested motivations, they are just applying a form of creative abductive reasoning and why not? More power to them. Until disproven their hypothesis should be treated as valid as well. The AI approach was also just another crack at an unsolvable puzzle.

#10. oleHashow ‘#9 i asked you to tell more im glad it somehow got out’

You have a very peculiar and opaque way of complementing someone…

>You admit error and you cant back track your train of thought and maybe repair the damage you made
>You discredit turkish angle... then you promote your agenda.
>And when you get slap, you point at something else.

But happy to move forward.

>If we dont know in what language this was written. Why would someone look just into hebrew anagrams?

This is what the computational approach, using artificial intelligence, and its vast computing power determined as the most likely source language of the Voynich code. How is a lesson in cryptography and cryptographic methods and high level maths but it really comes down to pattern recognition and probable human language syntax, morphology and lexicon (i.e. sentences, words and vocabulary). The AI calculated the possible combinatorial permutations and determined that Hebrew and then Hebrew anagrams of all things appears to the best statistical fit.

Is this correct? Or the answer? Ummm maybe or no. They have only decoded something like 3%.

This is an AI decision matrix and output and most likely probable enciphered language … and that is just a guess. ;-) A calculated brute force statistical guess.

The manuscript remains a mystery in spite of everyone’s best efforts and the application of cutting edge science. And I find that kind of mystery intriguing. So Hebrew or Turkic … all are equally possible or impossible right now.

And that is why I posted the gizmodo story. This mystery hasn’t been solved yet.

In my first post I wrote ‘the [Turkic] *corrected* angle has already been investigated by others. Nothing really new here but good on this man for contributing. Linguists and cryptographers have been working on this for years and every so often someone claims to have solved it but the results never work out'.

The key phrase is ‘and every so often someone claims to have solved it but the results never work out’

> So if language is turkic, Why would be doing anagrams with hebrew relevant?

??? What? The article, not me, simply points out that other researcher using another method have determined that the script is perhaps ‘originally coded from Hebrew’. You do see that this is but one of many working hypotheses dont you?? The 'Voynich Manuscript remains almost entirely coded and unreadable to this day. And that is what makes it interesting. Unless you are #3. Judge-Jake and then you bin it and move on.

What? I did no such thing. Again reading comprehension seems to not be your forte.

I wrote ‘Here is an interesting effort reported on January 30, 2018’ as a way to frame the video and expand the discussion of what is an interesting topic. I also wrote ‘Many have tried and to date no one has succeeded'.

I did not claim to discredit anyone or promote any agenda but only to suggest that this effort, while novel, is one of many that have yet to really crack the code.

What part of ‘every so often someone claims to have solved it but the results never work out’ did you not comprehend?? Wait… that would be all of it apparently.

> maybe repair the damage you made.

????

I just tried to add to the discussion whereas you apparently have determined that being an incomprehensible muppet troll is somehow a contribution. To each their own I guess.

And in your rush to troll you demonstrated either your inability to read (the answer is right above in #4. FredBear’s post you muppet), your inability to make a funny, your generally banal nature or all of the above.

Ha ha. Everything I post is an error…. Talk about someone who fills their head with sand and shakes.

(And props to Scotsman for 'muppet' – one of my favourite new rebuttals)

You are absolutely correct and my error. I do know better. Thank you for the polite correction - really, much appreciated. Now if we could only have such civilized discourse and dialogue on topics such as Trump, guns, Muslims, climate change, gender, racism and inequality etc etc Snotr could become a much more enjoyable forum. Not that it isn’t right now but for some vitriol and drive by character attacks seem to be the only form of expression when either facts and/or evidence is presented in suport of a postion or argument or position that said people may disagree with.

Ok. But the Turkish angle has already been investigated by others. Nothing really new here but good on this man for contributing. Linguists and cryptographers have been working on this for years and every so often someone claims to have solved it but the results never work out.

Using artificial intelligence, Canadian researchers have taken a huge step forward in unraveling the document's hidden meaning. The Voynich manuscript contains hundreds of fragile pages, some missing, with hand-written text going from left to right. Most pages are adorned with illustrations of diagrams, including plants, nude figures, and astronomical symbols. But as for the meaning of the text -- nothing. No clue. For Greg Kondrak, an expert in natural language processing at the University of Alberta, this seemed a perfect task for artificial intelligence. With the help of his grad student Bradley Hauer, the computer scientists have taken a big step in cracking the code, discovering that the text is written in what appears to be the Hebrew language, and with letters arranged in a fixed pattern. To be fair, the researchers still don't know the meaning of the Voynich manuscript, but the stage is now set for other experts to join the investigation.

The AI analyzed the Voynich gibberish, concluding with a high rate of certainty that the text was written in encoded Hebrew."

The researchers then entertained a hypothesis that the script was created with alphagrams, words in which text has been replaced by an alphabetically ordered anagram. "Armed with the knowledge that text was originally coded from Hebrew, the researchers devised an algorithm that could take these anagrams and create real Hebrew words."

The study appears in Transactions of the Association of Computational Linguistics .

Oh the delicious irony that this vid was submitted by sux2bu of all people.

It contains everything he eschews: facts, science, the empirical method, evidence of anthropomorphically motivated climate change, PPTM charts with clear trends and no suggestion that a cooling period is going to happen in a ‘few hundred years’ (and thus undermining the 97% of active climate change scientist who agree that human activity is the cause of current global warming trends). All things sux2bu disagrees with.

Suxy, I have three hypothesis:

1) You failed to watch the entire video
2) You are just trolling everyone
3) You have actually changed your mind (overwhelming scientific consensus can have that effect) and now accept? that human caused climate change is a real thing and it has concomitant dangers for the planet and future generations??

It must be a day that ends in ‘y’ - Sux2bu and nomaddaf are both just showing their ignorance about basic facts, economic reality and the socialism as a ideology

#3. sux2bu commented ‘ I doubt it could have crushed ISIS as fast as Trump did’.

That is just silly. ISIS still exists as a threat and its decline started under Obama. Just like the good economic numbers that Trump inherited and has, somehow not screwed up with his impulsive market threating tweets and uneducated tariffs and abrogation of trade treaties with long-time allies.

Claim: #3. sux2bu [Trump] turned our economy around so fast.

Fact checked by the Washington post. Oh dear… here comes the reality.

Jobs
Job gains are part of a multiyear trend that started in 2010 while Obama was still in office.
Job growth under Trump compared with the years since 2010, in the same February to November time period. Trump’s numbers look less impressive in context. 2016 under Obama 1,959,00. Under Trump in 2017 - 1,700,000. Obama had stronger job creation. FACT

The Unemployment Rate
Trump inherited low unemployment numbers from Obama. Since 2011, the unemployment rate has steadily declined from a high of 9.6 percent following the Great Recession. It was 4.8 percent in January, when Trump took the oath of office, and it was 4.1 percent in the December employment report. So from 4.8 to 4.1. Wow. That is really turning things around!!!!!!

The stock market
Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, it’s clear U.S. stocks haven’t rallied as robustly as their foreign equivalents. Trump’s been touting the stock market growth since February, but in November the S&P still lagged behind Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom. Standard & Poor’s 500-stock index, it’s clear U.S. stocks haven’t rallied as robustly as their foreign equivalents. Trump’s been touting the stock market growth since February, but in November the S&P still lagged behind Japan, Germany and the United Kingdom.

GDP Growth
Trump brags We were at 3.2 last quarter, but we were at . And those are numbers that have not been seen for many years,” he said on Oct. 31st. FACT the quarterly GDP growth has often topped 3 percent during Obama’s presidency.

The reality is trump inherited a strong economy from Obama and his policies. That is a FACT. How long will this last is a real question given threats of trade wars, shooting wars, and Trump's chaotic approach to governance.

Teach? LOL. Have you had any contact with kids lately? Other then perhaps your own.

Profanity has been steadily infiltrating children’s lexicons over the years. I suspect it is due to film and television and games. And perhaps just listening to parents and older sibs. A boy this age probably has a robust repertoire of profanity that makes f*ck look tame. I am not saying this is a good or bad thing, just pushing back against your suggestion that Oliver’s bit taught this kid anything new. And this holds for European kids, British kids, American etc etc. And not just the lads. Kids know that these are taboo words which makes them even more appealing to learn and try to use.

#7. Sockcooker. I guess it was refreshing? to see that you are as naturally? surly and aggressive with others (i.e. #6. Krazeeeyez) from the get go but it does beg the question why? A polite request to ease up a bit. Please. Your hostile missives don’t really contribute anything and just belittling people’s opinions for the sake of belittlement is not terribly insightful or fun to read. Questions are good, difference of opinion are to be expected and respected, but snark and ridicule is just that.

And please – stop with the misattribution. #6. Krazeeeyez said ‘it's a shame that some people think …’ Some being the operative quantifier. IMHO you unfairly over-attributed this reason for pro-Brexit support. But in all fairness that nostalgic view (prosperity, more manufacturing jobs, tighter borders, fewer immigrants, flourishing middle class, less integration with Europe. Pax Brittanica) did constitute the core of the anti Brexit message. It is an accurate general summary about the sentiment and the propaganda utilized.

As for Brexit vote and age – 61% of 65 + and 56% of 50-64 years old voted to leave. Below age 50 and the majorities wanted to remain with only 25% of 18-24 years olds voting to leave. So statistically yes, the consequences will NOT be felt by those who most strongly supported it.

As for the future economy – no one credible has said it would be easy or painless. In fact the pro forces IMHO were sold a pack of lies by Nigel and Boris and their NHS bus. Just how long the pain will last, a decade? Two? Three? Is a fair and ongoing debate amongst economists. Regardless the UK will suffer for some time. How long we will just have to wait and see.

#1. Scotsman50 ‘We did vote,and we are leaving, so remainers, get over it’

Ummm Scotsman … don’t you find it a little ironic, given your support for Brexit, that Scotland actually voted to remain. This is not a majority sentiment in your country

So I assume ‘Best thing this shit hole country has done in a long time’ is a reference to the United Kingdom. So you identify as British? Odd seeing that your moniker is ‘Scotsman50’. (just busting your balls.. I kid I kid) Or is that just in terms of Brexit politics?

>You should try living here with the fucking Torry's in power.

No doubt. So how did you vote on the independence referendum? Were you pro-independence? Would explain pro Brexit. Especially if you are hoping for further devolution of Great Britain.

Personally I think the Brexit vote has been a disaster but to each their own. Only time will tell if it was worth it but the UK is in for a world of short term hurt.

Yeah… not with you on this one mate. The guys paying in pig bill FEELS awesome IMHO, because it is an amusing act of quasi civil disobedience (I do like the creativity) but in the end he is just making some poor desk clerk’s life miserable and not the office who gave him the ticket in the first place.

The clerk had nothing to do with the ticket, he is just a civil servant, and while he had a good smile I can imagine other stunts that may cause extra undeserved work. The clerk is just trying to make a living and presumably support his family.

>He should have just said, I have video evidence i have paid so just send me out my receipt.

Video evidence of what? That he dropped a load of pig bills down on the counter in a box? That would never hold up. These have to be counted for a receipt.

If the clerk was smart he would made this joker wait while he slowly unfolded each pig bill – just to make certain that it was in fact legal currency ;-)

As Newton never said, for every dick move stunt at a cashier’s window there is the potential for a reactive dick move that is equal in size, but opposite in direction.

And #5 sockcooker has the natural conclusion. This stunt works once and then legal tender rules regarding maximum quantities get imposed so things like this and the penny stunts won’t work again.

As a wise Western leader once said ‘Fool me one, shame on me… we won’t get fooled again’.

And what 'Christian' values would those be that makes your country so civilized?

Prohibitions against murder, rape, theft, violence, etc are not specifically Christian, in fact the Qur'an and Talmud also state clear rules against all of of these things and more. All religious texts contain a list of does and don't for people to follow.

Other than the standard nasties above what are Christian values that you are referring to?

#2. ughlah ‘What differs that most of the countries predominantly influenced by christians nowadays allow a very liberal approach to the biblic writings, whereas a lot of the dictatorships that are influenced by the islam need that ruleset to bestow control’

Indeed. You have highlighted the difference between many nominally secular Christian countries and a large number of theocratic Islamic ones. When the source of your authority, power and control is anchored in religious texts, written in the Bronze Age with a concomitant world view and understanding of how the universe works, then you get this kind of situation. Add in infallibility, righteousness, and legitimacy because of divine origins and /or sanction and it doesn’t make for a terribly good way to run a 21st century government or a modern system of laws, social values, rights, etc that give opportunity, participation and voice to all citizens regardless of sex, race, religion, etc.

Of course the Christian bible is no better or worse than the Qur’an or the Talmud, it is how these works are used and what legitimacy they are given with respect to government and governance. Theocratic states are particularly pernicious in this regard which is why secularism and democratic principles are often denied or outright banned. The West went through a long and turbulent and violent period sorting this relationship out and the battle still rages to this day. One can only hope the less fortunate parts of the world are given a chance to start down this path as well.

#5. nomaddaf . Big ups to you for digging into the backstory. I believe that people for the most part, like this manager, are not ‘cruel’ by default or without reason and your post gives important context.

Now on to # 6. Snotraddict. Sigh. And I am accused of instigating things and unnecessary provocation??

# 6. Snotraddict. ‘BTW for all the others, every business has a right to refuse service. You're not obligated to serve anybody (unless you're a "protected" class and you're a Christian bakery that doesn't want to make a gay cake - that the government says you HAVE to do).

That is a deliberate obfuscation of how the US law works and the principles that guide it.

1) ‘every business has a right to refuse service’ Yes, every PUBLIC business, does have this right. And this ONLY applies to behaviour, discourse, hygiene, attire etc. It is applied without distinction to race, creed, religion, ethnicity etc etc

2. ‘You're not obligated to serve anybody’ False. You are, in fact legally obligated, unless the customer violates the above rule. If you are a public business in America you can’t pick and choose who you decide to serve and sell to. That is called discrimination and it is against the law. Period. ‘We don’t serve blacks or Asians here’ is not permitted by law. Nor is 'we don’t serve Muslims and Jews' etc. Now the staff may be unpleasant etc but by US law you are in fact obligated to serve everyone equally. That is a FACT.

3. ‘(unless you're a "protected" class and you're a Christian bakery that doesn't want to make a gay cake - that the government says you HAVE to do)’. And now we save the best for last. The persecuted Christian argument. My religious beliefs should trump American civil right law.

The US government says that you must treat all patrons and customers equally if you run a public business. The 'I don’t serve X' argument was used to discriminate against minorities, mixed race couples, religious and ethnic minorities, women for a long time in the US until the Civil rights legislation in the 1960’s. Race, creed, colour and perhaps even religion are seen as inherent characteristics – things that people have no choice over, they are born into, and thus being able to deny service is rightfully seen as discriminatory and illegal. The same holds for homosexuality.

Christians are making the same argument that anti miscegenationists made years ago – serving a particular group or class of individuals violates my religious beliefs. Both use the bible to justify discrimination. And this argument has been seen for what it is – shameless bigotry and racism disguised under the banner of ‘religious freedom’

If you want to own and run a public business you can’t pick and choose who you serve. This is a legal fact. If the gay is so disgusting then don’t run public business. It is simple as that.
The moment you tell a business that they can selective discriminate then the entire commerce system will fall apart. Men, women, black, white, Christian, Muslim, short, tall, fat, thin, blonde, brunet – all people deserve equal treatment in the public domain.

# 6. Snotraddict. What you fail to see in your victimized mindset is that we are all, in one way or another, members of ‘classes’ and only by NOT privileging one over another can our societies, institutions, governments and businesses work. American Christians want a special dispensation to discriminate in the name of religious beliefs and that is fundamentally antithetic to what your country and constitution is built on.

And it is not MY survey but an article from the NY Times. Those selected the countries, not me.

You asked about Switzerland. Ok here you go. And warning the article does contain facts. (full articel via the link)

How to buy a gun in Switzerland
Heavy machine guns and automatic weapons are banned, as are silencers
In most cases the buyer needs a weapon acquisition permit, issued by the cantonal police
This will be refused if the applicant has a criminal record, an addiction or a psychiatric problem
A special permit is needed to carry a gun in public - and is usually issued only to people who work in security, once they have passed theoretical and practical exams
Twenty-six thousand guns were sold legally in Switzerland in 2012 to sportsmen, hunters and collectors

Switzerland guns: Living with firearms the Swiss way (By Emma Jane Kirby BBC News, Zurich)
Switzerland has one of the highest rates of gun ownership in the world, but little gun-related street crime.
However, Swiss gun culture is unique, and guns are more tightly regulated than many assume.

According to the Geneva-based Small Arms Survey, there are about 89 civilian-owned guns for every 100 people who live in the United States. Switzerland ranks third in terms of gun ownership, the Survey estimates, with 3.4 million guns among its population of nearly eight million.

Target shooting is a popular national sport but many of the firearms in Switzerland are military weapons.
All healthy Swiss men aged between 18 and 34 are obliged to do military service and all are issued with assault rifles or pistols which they are supposed to keep at home.

Gun laws concerning army weapons have tightened. Although it is still possible for a former soldier to buy his firearm after he finishes military service, he must provide a justification for keeping the weapon and apply for a permit.

Military supplied weapons - "And we don't get bullets any more," he adds. "The Army doesn't give ammunition now - it's all kept in a central arsenal." This measure was introduced by Switzerland's Federal Council in 2007.
Yet despite the prevalence of firearms, violent gun-related street crime is extremely rare in Switzerland.

In an average year here, there is one gun murder for every 200,000 of the population - in the US that figure is several times higher. But there are more domestic homicides and suicides with a firearm in Switzerland than pretty much anywhere else in Europe except Finland.

There is a strong correlation between guns kept in private homes and incidences occurring at home - like private disputes involving the husband shooting the wife and maybe the children, and then committing suicide."
"Forty-three per cent of homicides are domestic related and 90% of those homicides are carried out with guns," he says.

I'm always amazed how the National Rifle Association points to Switzerland - they make it sound as if it was part of southern Texas!

Swiss citizens - for example hunters, or those who shoot as a sport - can get a permit to buy guns and ammunition, unless they have a criminal record, or police deem them unsuitable on psychiatric or security grounds. But hunters and sportsmen are greatly outnumbered by those keeping army guns - which again illustrates the difference between Switzerland and the US.

#19. ughlah - Speaking of guns, owning weapons, etc the NY Times published a very interesting article that does a country comparison of rules and regs. The link is at the bottom.

How to Buy a Gun in 15 Countries (MARCH 2, 2018)

Many Americans can buy a gun in less than an hour. In some countries, the process takes months. Here are the basic steps for how most people buy a gun in 15 of them. Many countries have exceptions for specialized professions, and local laws vary.

United States
1. Pass an instant background check that includes criminal convictions, domestic violence and immigration status. 2 Buy a gun.
(Many states have additional buying restrictions, including waiting periods and expanded background checks. Roughly a third of American gun owners buy guns without a background check, which federal law does not require when buying directly from a private seller)

Britain 1. Join a shooting club, or document hunting arrangements. 2. Ask for a character reference. 3. Arrange proper firearm storage. 4. Pass background check that includes a police interview at your home. They may check your storage arrangements. 5. Buy a gun.
(Some police forces may handle the background check with more diligence than others. The exact procedure varies)

*Bottom line if you need to get shot, get shot with a handgun. Lower muzzle velocity = less damage and veering of the bullet entering the body = less traumatic damage. An assault rife bullet tumbles and tears and pulverizes its way through due to 3x the muzzle velocity and motion of the projectile inside the body on imapct*

#4. Judge-Jake 'it brightens our lives to have a couple or four new video's to watch each day rather than tuning in to see the young girl and her paintings who Austin hates'

Indeed! Great suggestion JJ. Couldn't agree more

Although 'hates' is unfortunately a mischaraterization. Never said I hated her work, I just dont care for it.

How about 'the young girl and her paintings who Austin doesn't appreciate'.

Back to the vid, and how about the amazing piloting of the KTLA news 5 helicopter at 2.01? That pilot managed to land that thing, with a failing engine, with presumably no loss of life in a area full of people and buildings. That was some truly impressive flying.

16. fjwjr ‘you show your ignorance of my country. Stop watching the left wing media and get some facts’

With all due respect you seem to not be aware that with the Internet one CAN be aware of things and have access to facts in other countries. Regardless if you read the Guardian or the Sun, left or right leaning, these papers report facts like the number of gun deaths in America and it shocks the hell out of the rest of the civilized world. These are not made up numbers.

America has a gun problem. And an epidemic of gun violence and related deaths not seen in any other 1st world nation. These are just facts.

It is also a fact that because Americans see owning a gun as a right and not a privilege – like basically the rest of the civilized world – until Americans come to grips with this dynamic you are just going to continue down this path of carnage and death and tragedy. The only solutions from gun owners is more guns. And to harden potential targets and arm more people in the hope one can limit casualties once the shooting starts. That in a nutshell is the American solution.

Please tell me if I am wrong.

Your right versus privilege mentality also permits weapons of war, the AR-15, in private hands and in some states to be carried openly in public. This is a fact.

And by all accounts the AR-15 due to bullet calibre size and muzzle velocity makes a terrible hunting weapon, it shreds (by design) what you are shooting at and a number of US states ban it for sport hunting.

Do you not see how this might strike many as excessive?

Multiple round clips, Teflon coated bullets, hollow-point expanding ammunition – how is any of this relevant to the sportsman or woman? This is a fact.

Or defending one’s home? How many intruders wear bullet proof vests?

All of am saying is that one does not have to live in the US to access facts and ask legitimate questions about Americans penchant for guns.

I do understand that a right versus a privilege is a powerful dynamic and people loath giving up rights once they have them. I actually have great respect for that argument in fact.

But I am also not afraid to ask at what point is enough enough? Do you, as an American, see any room to compromise on this issue?

And saying 'enforce exisitng gun laws' is not a legitimate answer because the NRA has effectively and repeated crippled these efforts time and time again. That is what they do - in the name of protecting rights.

#20. Sockcooker. Sigh. You really need to learn how to stop digging when you are in a logical hole.

Resorting to reductio ad absurdum argument doesn’t help your case at all. It just draws attention to your stubbornness and lack of understanding.

Bottom line is you like mediocre art. And that is fine. Why can’t you accept that and move on?

To each their own. Art in a broad sense can be objective critiqued as being either good or mediocre, showing skill or not, talent or not. You seem to like in this hyper-relativistic space where trainig, proven expertise and presumably success is required to have an objective and thus valuable opinion.

When you eat in a restaurant you probably don’t hesitate to declare a meal good, mediocre or bad. But are you a chef? Probably not but that doesn’t stop you for voicing an opinion and defendign it to others.

When you watch a film you probably don’t hesitate to evaluate it as good, mediocre or bad. But are you a film maker? Probably not.

You drink wine – are you a vinter? But you know crap wine when you drink it.

Etc etc. One doesn’t have to be an 'expert' to be able to have informed and well based opinions.

And one can have pedestrian tastes in art. Not a big deal. You have clearly owed it vociferously enough by now for all to see - time to move on man before you embarrass yourself further.

4. snotraddict ‘it's very popular in our culture amongst elitists, academia, media et al, to mock one (usually Christians) while exercising great restraint with others.

LOL. Yes, poor Christians in America. They have been so so discriminated against.

The causalities from the War on Christmas alone are enough for persecuted and protected status

But let’s not forget that 45 out of 45 US presidents have been Christians.

And that Christian beliefs dictate and restrict the ability of all American women to have control over their own bodies when it comes to reproductive rights, family planning, and the termination of pregnancies. Regardless of their own region and belief systems

And that Christian values and beliefs have allowed the Bronze Age idea of creationism to not just persist but actually influence federal and state government education policies and research funding etc. etc.

And that all major Christian holidays are recognized in the media and by federal and state institutions

And that Christian prayers are often used to open federal and state government activities.

And that the Christian bible is commonly used for swearing in ceremonies and to decline is to invite scorn.

And that many US states have school voucher systems that allow federal tax payer monies to flow to private Christian schools.

Etc. etc. etc. Yes, Christians in America are a beleaguered bunch with little power or control on the levers of control and policy and little to no influence on American society and culture.

Basic rule of thumb, when you are the most powerful demographic or interest group and have undue influence and sway relative to membership, people tend to take shots at you. That doesn’t make you persecuted, it just makes you dominant. And like sports teams when you are on top you draw added attention and scrutiny. Fairly and unfairly. That is just the way social and power relations roll in the modern world.

But persecuted Christians in America? LOL. Get a grip mate and you may want to do something about that martyr complex you have got going. My advice, get down off your cross and use the lumber for something that is actually useful.

You seem to have wilfully conflated the ability to appreciate and evaluate art and the ability to create and produce it. I am surprised that I have to state this for you but these are two very distinct skills. And I have never claimed to be an artist. I can however, along with many other people, evaluate to some degree whether a piece of artwork or collection may have some merit – again, two very different skill sets. One can be a critic or evaluate technical aspects of art without being an accomplished artist him or herself.

So you will have to forgive me if I ignore your request to present my own grand painting. Alas, I do not have any. (But I still know crap when I see it ;-)

If you really think that ‘Lone horse in snowy barren woods’ or numerous saccharine images of religious ecstasy that may or may not feature Jesus, or portraits of dewy little girls with manga-like disproportionally big and round eyes, or rugged still-life couples portraits are examples of excellent art and prodigious artistic skills and thus valuable – fantastic. Artistic value is to some degree in the eyes of the beholders and if you find this young lady’s oeuvre to be sophisticated enough for your tastes – so be it.

Her work however is, shall we say, not sophisticated, and any first year art student or anyone with a basic studies in art or art history could tell you this.

We could talk about criteria such as light, space, concept, use of colour, texture, composition, movement, proportion, uniqueness, technical skill, innovation etc etc but this would be a waste of our respective time since your minds and tastes appear to be intractable on this matter

So we stand at an impasse.

Let’s just say I am quite confident that her work will never appear in any of the world’s great collections.

2. snotraddict ‘I suspect her "number of mass shootings" is in the same realm as the made-up statistics the Left trotted out after the shooting (18 for this year they claimed!)’

Sticking your head in the sand and crying ‘fake news’ or ‘fake statistics’ doesn’t make an empirically knowable fact false. It just make you at best in denial or at least deliberately and wilfully ignorant.
Samantha Bee did not lie or misrepresent the numbers in 2016 nor has the left, if they claim 18 mass shootings in 2018, faked anything. These numbers are kept track of in spite of the NRAs best efforts to deny national and federal databases.

The rub is how one defines ‘’mass shooting’ in America. The Congressional Research Service defines a mass shooting as "a multiple homicide incident in which four or more victims are murdered with firearms, within one event, and in one or more locations in close proximity." This is the most rigid definition. Others use 3 or more deaths – which I think is legitimate. 3 people killed is mass enough for civilized people

What do the actual numbers tell us about shootings in America in 2018?

In the first 2 months - 10 events where 4 or more people were murdered and 5 where 3 people were killed. That makes 15. (And in double and single homicides and you get 98 people murdered so far). So 15 mass killings is not quite the 18 you cite without sources so I guess Americans who are concerned about gun violence are clearly making things up. At least in your mind.

But what is not debateable is that 98 people have been murdered with a gun so far in 2018 in the US.
These are real number and a horrifying statistic.

She has some raw talent and may be advanced for her age but she is by no definition a prodigy. Her technique is simplistic, subject matter banal and doesn’t show any great depth or insight, and her repertoire is trite and repetitive. Which is fine because she is a child and will presumably develop her skills over time. This does not make her a prodigy or her art any good or worthwhile. I am amazed that people can gush over her art, it is objectively simple and not all that technically impressive. This is just a fact. You can appreciate her work – fine, but she is not a prodigy nor is her work valuable outside the community that she is painting for. Her work doesn’t add anything to society writ large. These banal canvasses will never hang in the Louvre.

Picasso was an art prodigy. His earliest sketches and work showed raw talent and creativity. This child hasn’t demonstrated any of this yet. And thus superlative super human genius silliness. For fu*k’s sake people, get a grip. Calling art average or mediocre is not the end of the world.

And then lets not forget – this young woman talks about hearing voices in her head and then expressing those voices on her canvasses.

She is hearing voices in her head… in any other domain this would probably give people pause or concern but when it comes to religion then it is all fine and dandy.

As long as the voices continue to say ‘let’s paint a sunset’ or ‘use more yellow here’ and not something violent and retributive then I guess it is ok. It is always amazing what you can get away with when you invoke religion. Well Christianity. If a Muslim was hearing voices in his or her head then I suspect snotraddict et al wouldn’t nearly as charitable. ;-)

Ugh. You had me at divinely inspired. The body of her work is predictably pedestrian and maudlin and completely uninspiring. That is unless of course you are good American evangelical and then she is a prodigy, a talent, and someone to be collected? Yet another good example of how and why America is where it is in terms of the culture wars in the 21st century. Just add a little Jesus to the mix and infantile piffle can get passed off a serious or important work to some or even many. At least with art the effect is immediately visible. It is when the ideology and belief system that supports this kind of art gets into politics, policy and governance then one has to be concerned. Or they should be. Ignore it and you get the 2018 American cultural and political landscape.

at 3.36 he appears to be discussing the hard hat / head demo with the bar back in locked and ready position! he places his body and hands in the trap area during the discussion. That is either real confidence in your design or utter stupidity. And given his admission of parts breaking and not always working to expectations mucking about in the trap area with the bar loaded in the back position is pretty f-ing stupid IMHO.

Once again and with all due respect you are once again WRONG. Please allow me to explain.

You claimed, after showing comparative population sizes? (Vermont & Finland and then France) and gun legislation regulations (limited, strict and strict) that ‘there is no correlation between the number of guns in a population and the number of homicides’. And I stated, and an abundance of literature shows that this is simply the WRONG STATISTIC (i.e. question) and while you may choose to cite it because supports your argument it makes for a disingenuous argument. You are citing the statistic that best supports your case, not the one that has been shown to hold a high degree of actual statistical SIGNIFICANCE via repeated studies.

You are choosing the convenient statistic and not the valid one. You are choosing a negative correlation to support your argument but I have proper studies and research showing both positive correlation and causation. And that is - there is a clear and proven correlation between the number of weapons in private hands and gun violence. #number of guns in private hands, loose to zero registration regulations = ease of access = equals an unparalleled murder rate via guns in the modern world.

The measure of the number of guns in a population and the number of homicides is both inaccurate and misleading it is far too broad – by design. It doesn’t account for a large number of confounds.

It is a proven fact however that due the amount of weapons in private hands in the US a gun is 3 times MORE likely to be used in a homicide. That is a just fact that you as an American must deal with on a daily basis.

As for your follow up question ‘whether more homicides are committed due to the presence of guns’ is also broad and misleading. More guns IN PRIVATE HANDS (and combined with loose regulation) , note the important conditions, does lead to more homicides in America being committed with guns. Homicides will happen using a variety of means but as you said the gun is quite effective thus making it the tool of choice and given the lethality and ability to harm multiple people quickly the US leads 1st world in homicides and multiple homicides via gun.

Then you ponder ‘whether or not having guns makes people kill other people more often, which doesn't have an a priori obvious answer’

Again so broad as to be meaningless. Your intention is clear – it is to undermine the role, use and causality of a gun in violence by surrounding it potential variables that could never be clearly addressed thus, in your eyes, reducing the culpability of the number of guns in private hands and the clear incontrovertible link to gun violence.

Case and point ‘The absence of a gun will not prevent any premeditated homicide’

No one has ever made such a claim but the contra, as in, ‘the PRESENCE of a gun has been shown to statistically link with the commission of homicides’ has in fact been proven.

Lastly, excluding African Americans as you suggest from violence statistics to try and improve your numbers and thus argument is really distasteful. The clear inference is ‘if it wasn’t for those violence prone blacks white America wouldn’t look so bad in terms of numbers’. African Americans are Americans as much as you are and violence within American communities is an American problem. To dismiss and try and isolate that as cultural or ethic group specific and not a result of American culture, history, politics and economics is again – disgraceful.

#19. sux2bu ‘All we should need is either a few qualified and trained teachers or security personel or use off-duty police officers to deter the cowards who do these mass shootings. Those cowards pick gun-free soft targets where they know nobody is going to shoot back at them , so the possibility of being confronted by an armed security officer would make them re-think their plan.

Again, respectfully, this type of approach is uniformly rejected by law enforcement and teachers. And almost anyone who has served in the military. The good guy with a gun scenario is a fantasy, these situations are chaotic and even the best trained personnel (like special forces) must train daily to remain in peak condition with respect to reflexes, vision, physiological changes due to adrenalin etc etc. No one with any actual experience thinks this is a good idea.

In fact, we just had the perfect case study of your proposal in FL! A good guy, a trained sheriff, was AT the school as a guard, so someone as you suggest who ‘could shoot back’ and he failed to A) deter the kid despite the real possibility of being confronted and b) once the attack was underway he made the decision not to go in and try and engage the kid – perhaps because the kid had an assault rifle and didn’t fear dying. Your scenario was just tested and it failed miserably.

The presence of a trained and armed police officer did not deter the attack nor did the officer end it once it was underway. Now you may fault the officer for not Rambo-ing his way into a mano a mano gun fight but I suspect his training called for radioing in for support, surveiling the gun man to report the location to arriving specially trained and armed and protected forces, and NOT engaging lest he cause even more civilian casualties.

Please don’t say this was a one off coward police officer. He wasn’t paid to wade into a hail of gunfire. The deterrence effect DID NOT WORK.

Again – the American media is full of combat vets who are now teachers who think arming teachers is a horrible idea. And they should know.

Your proposal is in effect more guns and that is really just more of the same. Why on earth would you expect any different results? If we just had more guns… they maybe a different outcome. Really??

#17. sux2bu. I appreciate your candour in your response. I hope you will afford me the same respect in my response.

The situation that you have described below in Israel, fences, armed guards, checking for weapons, always on edge because of a potential threat – is that really any way to live in a modern society? Is that the kind of society that you want to live in? Raise a child in? Constantly in fear and always expecting an attack or at least the need to be prepared to defend oneself?

With all due respect this seems to be what you are proposing can be or should be is the new ‘normal’ in America. Is this really your solution??

You are basically saying ‘We have to many guns and the right to own them shall not be infringed ergo the only solution is a quasi-militarized society with more aggressive defensive measures’

That is the honestly the only and best solution for you?

Doesn’t this strike you as horrifyingly dystopian and stressful and depressing?

Life in Israel is NOT idyllic. The measures you describe come with an incredible financial and psychological cost.

The problem is the % of guns in private hands and a lack of substantive and uniform regulatory oversight. This is just a fact borne out by statistics. I think that people should have a right to own a weapon but as part of membership in a civilized society ownership needs to come with more responsibility and regulation. We have guns in my country and far far fewer gun crimes because we have common sense gun ownership and regulations.

There are literally more guns in America than people now. When is enough enough because what you have right now is clearly not working and adding more guns to the mix isn’t going to solve anything.

Respectfully, this statistic / claim is NOT the right question to ask.

>There is no correlation between the number of guns in a population and the number of homicides.

Where one does find meaningful statistical correlations is between the following:

1) The number of privately owned guns. (US is number 1, Yemen is number 2. Every 1 percent increase in gun ownership correlated with a roughly 0.9 percent rise in the firearm homicides. When poverty, alcohol, urbanization etc all controlled for - privately owned guns is THE statistically significant factor)

2) This ties into the ability to access or ease of access to a gun

And 3) the licensing and regulation of firearms and gun deaths. (stricter controls result in fewer deaths)
The sheer number of guns in circulation in the US makes, as you state, guns the easy weapon of choice to use in crimes, and that makes guns 3 times more likely to be used in assaults and crimes that in any other industrialized nation.

The statics are very clear, America has too many guns floating around in private hands (101 guns per 100 residents, literally more guns than people now. Serbia is #2 is 58.21 per 100 residents. Access is too easy and regulation is patch work and poor and undermined by the NRA.

No other major 1st world industrialized nation suffers from this kind of violence. I can’t believe that this doesn’t concern you. You must have friends, family and loved ones you care about. Is the solution just to arm everyone and hope for the best? Is that your ideal country? Are you not horrified and concerned by gun violence? More guns cant be the answer – this is what got you into this mess in the first place.

This man hit on something important. In his lament he says ‘look at the pictures of those victims’. This of course refers to a photograph of the persons face – presumably smiling. Much like war via drone strikes and volunteer filled armies, the everyday civilian is insulated from the horrific carnage and damage that the bullets from an AR-15 to a human body. These deaths are sanitized and thus Americans don’t have to literally see and face the actual damage caused by the supposedly superseding love for the right to carry weapons of war over the right to live, work and study without the fear of being murdered.

I think it is time that the actual photos of the victims be shown (with families’ permission of course). Perhaps that shock may finally sway some minds much like those amazing kids and their campaign are trying to do in Florida. Some Americans love to invoke ‘rights’ but rarely are they faced with the actual real-life consequences. People get shot and life moves on. If you see up close what a bullet does and you have a whole new perspective. Just ask any soldier who has served in combat. Or doctor who has treated a gunshot wound. These are the experienced voices who are speaking out against Trump and the NRA and the asinine proposals to arm teachers and give bonuses to those teachers who carry weapons. Such insanity. The solution to Americans gun problem is more guns. Wow.

Indeed. A perfectly reasonable and logical assertion about the driver’s affiliation (gang banger), his relationship with the woman (teacher), and the role that race and sex plays in this scenario (subordinate and white follower). One can clearly see from this clip that the white woman had no choice in her participation and was either cajoled or compelled to participate in this crime. Good analytical trolling eye snotraddict. Happy to play along

It could also be as simple as both of these people are equally shitty and criminal and guilty in intent and/or action and f*ckface remained in the car because he was too lazy.

#14 thefox. You must be doing your JJ impression again because your twaddle makes absolutely no sense. But it is a pro forma foxy drive-by insult so you presumably feel better about yourself. I guess that is the value you added to the discussion. Thanks?

#12. Fjwjr. I was wondering when you might emerge and add an empty drive-by insult. Mission accomplished!

Some members of the Sntor community never cease to amaze me.

The consensus, given the support for #6. oleHashow and as judged by the animosity and venom hurled my way, is that it is apparently worse to ask a question that may (may) possibly / potentially facilitate either a racially insensitive or racist or bigoted comment or refection than it is to actually hold, say, or propagate or make potentially racially insensitive or racist or bigoted thoughts / ideas. Wow!

Basically, I don’t care of you hold such views just don’t say it in a way where you can be held either accountable or your own words and ideas. This is the definition of being a chicken shit. Or, my new favourite American expression, ‘All hat and no cattle’.

You asked a question, pout pout, that might make me say something inappropriate … and this is bad because I have no self-control nor should I be held accountable for my words, opinions or ideas.

And here I thought many of you were all about individual responsibility and freedom and taking responsibility for one’s own actions and words but no – you want to be protected from such threatening situations. This is really the crux of it. Talk about vulnerable insecure snowflakes.

I never imagined ‘why’ could be so threatening to so many people. You don’t like it take it up with sux2bu, he posted this subversive video. We had a civil exchange – you lot all got your panties in a twist. Redd Foxx would have loved this. This is exactly the discomfort that he wanted to facilitate. 40 years on and his message still resonates. Now that is a real genius.

#8. oleHashow Sigh. Do you know the expression, when in a hole stop digging?

First, the clip is not a joke per se, it is presented as comedic dialogue. The title was funny, I did not see it (as I explained) so I asked. Politely and respectfully. And I exchanged with Sux2bu. You and your insecure posse are the ones who have exploited things. You, not Sux2bu found the question ‘why’ threatening and have thrown a snit since.

Secondly, need I remind you that Sux2bu uploaded that clip. Not me. The dialogue was in fact very political in nature. What is funny about a black man not having confidence in the American judicial system? Is that funny to you? I guess so because you got the joke – whatever that was.

Furthermore, Sux2bu, not I, engaged in provocative act with that vid. So if anyone was ‘fishing’ for a reaction is was Sux2bu. Everything since has been driven by your aggressive insecurities and weakly presented accusations, inference and innuendo.

Lastly, when I watched this vid the thing that came to my mind was that this was a nice example of ‘unearned privilege’. Sux2bu saw something else. Fine. No judgement (other than regarding my lack of humour) was expressed. But the fact remains that this is a very poignant example of how minorities differ from whites when engaging with and viewing the legal system. That was what I didn’t share but that hardly makes me a fisherman.

I will leave you with a question. Sanford and Son ran from 1972-77. So it is basically a 40 year old clip. Do you think a 2018 American television audience would find this to be funny? Would today’s producers add a laugh track to this scene? Of course not. Is that not revealing? That the situation remains largely the same for African Americans in America with their legal system but it is no longer such a laughing matter. Or is it? Perhaps you find this timeless and still uproarious.

#6. oleHashow I don’t know what is more disappointing, your lack of confidence in Sux2bu’s ability or capacity to answer a simple question without revealing something apparently impolitic or your assertion that somehow asking an open question is worse than the answer or answers it may potentially generate.

Clearly you have some insecurities yourself regarding this topic or why else would you express such facile defensive statement about wide open interrogatives such as the ones I posed?

I asked Sux2bu why do you find this funny? And you see this as racist baiting. Interestingly enough – he didn’t. Nor did I make any such accusations. I didn’t post the vid but I did ask a reasonable question. Heaven forbid someone having the audacity to politely ask 'why'. And you have the audacity to call others snowflakes... My god, you melted away at the simplest of inquiry. Wow Grow a pair, stand by your convictions, don’t scamper off and toss downvotes from the shadows and stop blaming others for your own insecurities.

#2. sux2bu. Thanks for not [giving a negative to my comment]. I am not certain why my question deserved a thumbs down (so far 7 votes and a -3 rating), I asked a simple question, and you replied. Ok. Why that set off the haters is beyond me but it is sadly indicative of the world we now live in where impulsive anger and negativity is apparently the only reaction to an open inquiry.

Thanks for the reply.

Just because I missed the humour doesn’t imply that I don’t have a funny bone. I thought I was clear about that. Sigh.
Your musings about the sophistication required, or not, needed to appreciate Redd Foxx's’ comedy is precisely why I asked you why you found this clip funny. Not that one needs to be sophisticated but we all have different takeaways with respect to comedic messages.

My understanding is that Redd Foxx was quite ground breaking and revolutionary in comedy. His show was ground breaking in that his riffs on overt racism and prejudice via his Sanford character was in fact an indictment of American society. He used his stage act and television show and character to challenge issues of privilege, racism, stereotypes and the position of African Americana in American society. The man was a subversive in many respects, analogous to the white Archie Bunker character, making people wince, reflect and think about race relations.

I found the courtroom scene in the vid to be dark and cynical. And subversive. And painful. A black man doesn’t have a chance in the legal system. Ha ha. It is funny because it is true. Skip ahead many decades and this is still an ugly reality. The disparity in sentencing, prison population, and police stops, profiling etc – This is a painfully funny truth. And the dismissal of the black judge, I suspect that sentiment is still valid for many American minorities. The legal system is still seen as biased and discriminatory.

And with that said, I don’t begrudge your response at all I was just curious why you, a 66+ year old white American male, found this clip funny. Now I know. And we can both appreciate the same event but from different perspectives. No judgement, just an observation.

And yes, he was a wickedly funny comedian. Would have loved to see a stage show.

Now that was just good fun!! Folk musicians like these guys just bring out the best in people.

I had no idea that the bouzouki was such a popular instrument with Irish folk musicians.

And the banjo is another nice touch. The sound is so distinctive. It is kind of amazing that so many cultures have picked up and now use this instrument in their folk music given that it comes from, and allow me to quote a famous leader, peoples from ‘shithole’ countries. (It is an African instrument)

> I don't give extra credit for being black or a woman. You worked hard, you made it. You're awesome.
I can certainly respect that.

>CEO's, politicians or celebrities are not the only people who can be abusive. Anyone in a position of power over another has that opportunity.
True that.

>So I've grown tired of people like Oprah standing up and pontificating about how we need to treat people. [And don't tell me she didn't know. EVERYONE knew and they joked about it for decades] [ don't need shallow self-righteous people finger wagging and telling me how to act towards others especially during a stupid self-congratulatory award ceremony that has nothing to do with it AND from an organization, that as a whole, did nothing about it.]

Absolutely fair points and we are in agreement.

>Once this blows over, and it will blow over, men will continue to do what they've always done.

Sadly, I agree. Progress is always incremental and usually takes time. Just think about what was considered acceptable in your parents’ generation versus when you entered the workplace versus now. We have come a long way towards treating others with respect and dignity but a lot of work remains.

Didn’t occur to you that the film makers intended to do this? Nah.. most likely escaped post production. A clue that this might be intentional is the fact that this is an arty short film.

Ditto for the mundane repetitive nature of this kids life. That was the obvious point no?

Or the acting is awesome. Hard to tell if that is sarcastic. Ok. Nice quip.

And #4. Ughlah. Thank you for your thoughts and interpretation of the film and its possible message and meaning. You said something meaningful… imagine that! In this world where drive-by snark, slur, unsupported accusations and a refusal to engage in a tiny bit of critical thinking or reflection or follow-up somehow counts as ‘discourse’ this was a delightful change of pace.

Good stuff Ughlah!

If I could add to your analysis. I assume they worked in a play on words with ‘'repitition'. Perhaps they decided to be highbrow (this is an arty film after all) and they are using the French word répit’ meaning a short period of rest or relief, with ‘ition’ to characterize the scene where he looks over the green vista? Just throwing that out there.

#7. Snotraddict, I honestly appreciate your time and response. Thanks. It is a pity that the thefox, Hun and nomaddaf can’t be bothered to do anything more than hurl drive-by slurs and accusations. It is a cheap discourse that doesn’t do anyone any good and just further polarizes people. Calling someone fake, hypocritical and undeserving online is easy – backing that up is much harder.

Re Obama’s Nobel. This is irrelevant and your comment is unfortunately gratuitous. The charge that Oprah is undeserving. No contra argument has been presented so far. Moving on.

She is certainly not giving the media or Hollywood a pass re corruption and injustices, in fact she is reminding all of the importance of the 4th estate and its duty and obligation to give voice to those who have none. In fact she deliberately took this issue outside of Hollywood ‘one that transcends any culture, geography, race, religion, politics, or workplace, and skillfully anchored it in the factual story of Recy Taylor, a victim, and her mark on history and racial justice and equality. Rather than excoriate the media for past inaction she pushed it to do better. And this is a bad thing?

>Let's also be adults here and understand that many times it's whomever is in power, men or women, who often abuse others, not just men, or more succinctly "white men".

Respectfully, that is factually just not true. These numbers are a simple snapshot

In 2017, 4 percent of Fortune 500 CEOs are minorities.
24 women CEOs in the Fortune 500 — representing 4.8 percent of companies
In 2017, 105 (78D, 27R) women hold seats in the United States Congress, comprising 19.6% of the 535 members

This is still very much a white male system in the US. Look at the raw numbers and it quickly becomes an empirically based fact. Power, political and financial and institutional, are still a white male domain in the US and certainly 'male' in other parts of the world, in spite of the progress made to date. This is a global issue.

>Some of us are becoming more color blind, but in many ways we've become more color-minded.

Completely agree and this is a good thing but it also carries with it resentment and hostility and retribution as old norms and acceptable patterns of behaviour are no longer tolerated.

>Finally, to burst Oprah's bubble, as long as you have powerful people, they'll exercise that power in sometimes abominable ways. Sad, but true.

I don’t see anything in her text to suggest such an opinion or inference. In fact see her comments on the 4th estate. She is saying that we must remain vigilant and expose such things.

>Her phony speech about "Me, too" is laughable.

Why is this laughable? She is a rape survivor. She created a media empire from the ground up. She is literally a self-made billionaire. Do you honestly think a black woman from her lower-class background and upbringing has had an easy time in Hollywood? Really??? Black and a woman in Weinstein et al’s world. Two strikes against her already.

There is a reason she created her own media empire – to give herself, other women and many people of colour opportunities and roles that were routinely being denied. And that is why she received the award. She is a very American story – self-made, flawed, a black woman in a white male system. But you call her "Me, too" story as phony. I am curious why you think she is a phony. All evidence suggests otherwise.

#1. thefox (leaving the celeb bit aside) Focusing just on her speech. How was this ‘Hollywood fakery’? What part about her comments on race and gender and the fight for equality was fake in your opinion?

2. Hun Your reaction was ‘Hypocrisy’ Why? What about her words or personal life story was hypocritical in your opinion?

3. nomaddaf ‘This right up there with giving obama a nobel prize’ I will grant you that Obama’s Nobel qualifications were quite thin when he received it. Ok. But how is Oprah’s award analogous? She is being awarded after many years in the public eye and dozens of actual accomplishments in her field. How is this analogous to Obama’s Nobel? She actually has a long track record.

Simple questions, no judgement. Why do all 3 of you dislike this woman so much?

The title was apolitical and contained no judgement or inference or than, in my opinion, this was not something you see every day. Full stop. And cross-fostering by animals is not a regular occurrence. Especially cross-species, far rarer. Not to say it doesn’t happen just that when it does it is surprising and (inferred) nice to see.

But your takeaway is ‘this as a bullshit post by a bunch of snowflakes’ Such anger and vitriol honestly disappoints me. A benign pleasant vid with a simple apolitical declarative title and you lash out? SAD!

You really need to relax. Do what you need to (go for a run, read book, smoke a joint, walk in the woods, get laid – ok in your case it will be a solo wank because you clearly have some anger issues which probably effect both performance and the maintenance of intimate relationships) and try to calm down. Such anger and paranoia is not healthy.

Sometimes an animal video is just an animal video. If we cant enjoy this for its simple beauty then we are really screwed.

Thunders, no idea, just the word I always have known it by, and given its simplicity (#6. ughlah barrier at the end of the roof - is exactly right) I have to believe that many others came up with it as well. No one likes a load of snow and ice on the head, especially if the sun thaws things out and things start to slide off. I suspect given the German penchant for rules and order and safety that they are probably applied more systematically to homes, especially in the south.

Or why, if you live in a part of the world that gets good amount snow in winter, buildings are required to have a schneefänger system. ;-) This is an age-old known known winter problem and threat. Still makes from some impressive vid though.

#2. 'Sure it looks nice but its utterly pointless
Really? You cant just appreciate the creativity? He hasnt harmed the piano at all and, green beard and all, the man just looks like he is having fun. Cant you let him have that??

Now just imagine it is night time, you are over German occupied Europe, and you are watching all of the anti-aircraft groundfire streaking upwards towards you trying to destroy your plane. Oh, and swarms of fighter planes are also trying to shoot you down. Everyone and everything outside wants you dead or destroyed and you have the best seat in the house. What a harrowing experience.

I would be grateful if you could please share some of these ‘incredible accounts from hundreds of years ago’ that so impress you and convince you that global warming is a hoax.

And please, not anecdotal stories from sailors but actual confirmed (relativized) assessments of property damage, deaths, and size and scale of the storm. Big storms have always existed but it is the increase in greenhouse gasses due to human activity from the 19th century onwards, rising sea level and the concomitant increase in ocean temperatures – again as a result of human activity – that make storms in the 21st century bigger, more frequent and more destructive.

#6. Thefox. And you caught caught the error again! Good on you! You are good with other’s posts, no question there, here is hoping that you can also use your eye for detail, accuracy and honesty more introspectively in the future as well ;-)

It seems your skills with creating and trying to maintain spin with your own life have finally payed off. You appear to know incorrect, innaccurate or false spin when you see it. That makes makes two of us

#6. fjwjr ‘haven't you ever watched any FAIL videos? It seems to be universal’

Absolutely agree with you. Stupidity and lack of common sense is universal. As you said, just look at hundreds of fail vids.

But the United States stands out with respect to the amounts that juries can award with respect to compensatory damages. Tens of millions of dollars in cases where the defendant, after hurting him or herself while clearly misusing a product, sues a company for not informing him that X shouldn’t be used that way. You think common sense would prevail but American juries on occasion award ridiculous amounts. In Europe these amounts are capped. Medical malpractice is a good example. The cost to American doctors is insanely high and has forced some good GPs out of business thanks to such jury awards. Again – not possible in Europe.

#3 fjwjr ‘People who find this video beneficial are the reason we have coffee cups with "Caution! Hot liquid!" on them’.

There this is a little more to this kind of labeling.

You have coffee cups with "Caution! Hot liquid!" on them due in large part to the American legal system that permits (in many cases) unchecked limits on compensatory and liability awards, a subculture of lawyers that specialize in product liability lawsuits, and the basic litigious nature of a number of Americans. It is kind of an American thing. We dont have this problem in my country.

Anyway, many of the seemingly idiotic warnings such as ‘hot liquid’ or ‘X is not to be used for Y’ are a result of such lawsuits. Common sense warning are attached after someone lacking in common sense does something stupid and sues and wins a large settlement. And unfortunately America is the home to many of these cases. Hence we all have 27 warning stickers on our step ladders regardless of where we may live.

#5 ‘The ‘I am not a racist - Gypsies are part of the Human Race... just’ Fox.

Careful, your temper seems to have clouded your ability to read and recall past postings. Of course I realized this vid was posted by you and not Suxxy. In developing my post I considered the fact that you are, by virtue of the content and references of past postings and your disgusting racist comments on Romani people, either British or at least have spent considerable time living in the UK. That is a country with strong gun laws and you almost certainly don’t possess this kind of militray style weapon. Sux2bU on the other hand has a long history of posting ammosexual porn, he is a proud gun owner, and he consistently takes very pro-gun stances. More importantly, we have knocked heads in the past over guns hence I deliberately directed my comments to him. The shift was deliberate.

> I imagine it should be – whatever gets you off. Or in Suxxy’s case – probably hard.

Nowhere in sentence structure or syntax have I confused you for Suxxy. You are a simplistic racist, yes, but presumably not an assault rifle owner. Suxxy is. Or most likely is. I was surprised that you posted this, I never imagined you liking the guns vids enough to post one, but so be it. You are once again in error and making false and baseless allegations.

#3 The ‘I am I no way a racist I just hate Gypsies’ Foxy. You really have a vivid imagination and a limited vocabulary.

Again, I suggest you look up the word ‘rant’. My comment hardly qualifies as a rant.

to speak or declaim extravagantly or violently; talk in a wild or vehement way; rave:

Wordy perhaps. Sarcastic – fine. To be expected? Again – fine. I am not a fan of guns but that is well known. Irreverent or disrespectful? Guilty. I clearly tossed some read meat at our American colleague Suxxy (just the use of the term Merican by itself is bound to set him off) but that is part of Snotr. We will never agree on guns and gun ownership but that is fine. But ranty and hot? Nah. I could see how it may appear so to someone such as yourself, one who appears to express himself only in short, simple, content barren and often defensive and derogatory sentences.

Excellent! More ammosexual porn for all to enjoy. These grinning fools just used (roughly) 240 USD worth of bullets to destroy a 1,130 USD suppressor to demonstrate what?? That a gun barrel gets hot? Really hot when on fully automatic? Any properly trained soldier could have told you this and saved these idiots 1,400 USD. What a waste. Sorry, that was judgemental, I imagine it should be – whatever gets you off. Or in Suxy’s case – probably hard. This type of vid probably acts like Viagra for El Suxy and his gun toting, open carry, stand your ground, 2nd Amendment worshipping, Merican compadres. Remember Suxy if it last more than 4 hours you may want to visit a firing range. if you havent already today.

Ugh. The Russians. Suxy doesn’t need to say it because we all know it is true. Russians hacked and influenced American elections? Russians? Really? For 50 years the Americans pwned the Russians and ended the cold war triumphant and the only superpower left in the world. No way could they even begin to mess with superior American computer systems much less the election. This is just silly. The Russians are a have been shell of a superpower, they have little to offer with respect to culture and values (unless one counts the Russian mafia as a cultural asset, and quite honestly, and I know The ‘IamNOT a Racist’ Fox would agree – Russia, its oligarchs, its support of Syria and Iran, its kleptocratic ways, Russians are in fact nothing but scum and a blight on society. They all cheat, steal, kill, freely use mafia organizations to thwart free enterprise and commerce, and have no respect for freedom of the press, assembly, speech or free and fair elections. Democracy, rule of law like most things, they don't apply to Russians. Honestly, what have Russians done since perestroika and glasnost (1991)? Nothing but violence, crime, drunkenness and bad driving. And we have the videos to prove the latter. Russians are in fact nothing but scum and a blight on society.

And #2 Alaric Exposing [other j#wmedia lies]. Good one. Just saying it objectively and fairly like it is. Didn't I see you at the Charlottesville rally? I could have sworn I saw you there.

#11. Burimi. I am certain that if you had the life experiences and contact with Muslims and Islam that #7. Scotsman and #12. The ’I am not a racist’ fox and I have had, then you would simply have no choice but to agree with the experientially and factually grounded statement that ‘Muslims and Islam are in fact nothing but scum and a blight on society’. And this is not a racist comment because it is based in our experience and we are not racists ergo it is not a racist statement. Just like the statement made by #13 the Scotsman with respect to the evil a large percentage of Muslims do to sully the names and reputations of the good ones. It is just a fact that a large percentage of Muslims either want to commit violence, have committed violence or are planning on committing an act of violence against the kafir. It is a sad but absolutely verified and thus true state of affairs. Muslims and Islam are just not compatible with western democratic values that we hold so dearly.

We all know of course that regardless of Muslims' supposedly valuable cultural heritage, Muslims and Islam are in fact nothing but scum and a blight on society. They generally live in their own communities, they refuse to learn English properly, many of them prefer to shop at stores that offer Halal choices / food, they refuse to drink and smoke and thus deny good publicans revenue, once they have brought in all of their relatives and have a large enough they usually set about building a mosque with a garish tower that they use to broadcast the adhan, then come their own schools and community centres so they don’t have to interact with anyone, then all the women are forced to wear sacks over their heads, and finally, and inevitably, they always move, under the cover of darkness to impose Sharia law. On everyone. And if you object you are subjected to nonsense lawsuits, threats of jihad and violence. And the occasional suicide bomber. If you are lucky they decide to go blow themselves up elsewhere, like Syria. It doesn’t take long for them to make a nuisance of themselves. Democracy, rule of law, equality, like most things, they don't apply to Muslims. As the man in the video states, what have Muslims early done for the world for the past 500 years? Nothing but violence and hatred. They are in fact nothing but scum and a blight on society.

#27 Foxy. I can’t tell if your insistence on returning to the same old discredited argument is due to simple stubbornness or if you are incapable of seeing the problems with your ‘if you know what I know then you would hate them to’ proposition. These two positions are of course not mutually exclusive.

The fact of the matter is by your own word, your own admissions, you hold deeply racist, bigoted and prejudicial feelings, a hatred it seems, for the Roma people and that is a text book definition of racism and a racist. It is not desperately ‘shouting’ racist but a matter of the record for all to see. It is an established fact. Only you seem to be in denial about this. At least #13. Klemm had the courage to own this position – you continue to flail around and deny your own words and statements. Nothing worse than a cowardly racist when called out on his own vile invective. Look at the content of your OWN posts. You expressed racist and bigoted beliefs.

As for my presumed experience / inexperience with Romani people, ways and culture. This is both immaterial to the charge at hand (i.e you being a racist douchebag and a bigot) and a shameless effort to doge the real issue. It is only material if one accepts your idiotic premise that if I had only met or even seen a gypsy and his or her companions and seen how they really live / work then I would agree with your vile statement that that ‘The Gypsies are scum and a blight on society.

This is so stupid that it amazes me that I have to restate it. I do not, nor would any rational thinking person, accept this premise therefore my experience with Romani is immaterial. What you have done is provided the working definition of someone who is a racist. Deny, deflect, spin and dig all you want – you are condemned by your own words.

#25. Thundersnow ‘hate has been gone from snotr since a certain person was last on snotr 67 days ago...it's been 100% better since!!

Completely agree with you Thunders but sadly 2 gentlemen from Great Britain can more than make up for his absence.
I will now confess that I fully anticipated a reaction from either JJ or Foxy with my comment re the pejorative nature of the word ‘gypsy’ and I structured my comments to be as polite as possible. Not demanding, just suggesting.

Never expected Foxy to throw a full on racist tantrum – much less in a paragraph format that he so openly despises. The man has some serious hate issues. And then JJ came in later as a snivelling little hater sidekick. He showed up to insult me and then run away and hide as he is prone to do.

They are arguing for racialized discrimination against an ethic minority and see no problem with that. Amazing. How short sighted and ignorant of history can two men be? The answer appears to be ‘significantly so’.

#21. Thefoxy. Oh no. At some point you really need to recognize the hole that you are in and stop digging. Bad enough that you are proudly racist and a bigot, your continued flailing only make you look pathetic.

So, your argument is if I had only met or even seen a gypsy and his or her companions and seen how they really live / work then I would agree with your vile statement that that ‘The Gypsies are scum and a blight on society’.

That is basically where you are now. Backed into a corner by own racist rhetoric and resorting to ugly worn racist tropes ‘if you only knew what I knew about these peoples you would hate them (all estimated 18 million of them worldwide) as much as I do'. whew....

Your argument and logic is as primitive and retrograde as your thoughts towards the Romani people.

And #22. Burimi, (not that you asked ;-) I don’t hate Foxy but I do find his intolerance for other races, creeds, religions and cultures to be a great challenge. I pity him more than anything else.

#18. Thefoxy. My takeaway from your little office narrative is that you have always held racialized xenophobic thoughts and opinions, you have always surrounded yourself with like-minded bigots, and you justify, reinforce and strengthen your views and opinions about other peoples and cultures by simply sharing with and choosing to interact with people who share your racist world views. This is a self-fulfilling and reinforcing strategy and sadly all too common with self-assured bigots and racists such as yourself. It is not surprising that you smugly dismissed anyone who was appalled by the nature and content of your conversations in your office. I would love to see you try and get away with that hateful crap in any modern day company. Your primitive retrograde ideas about people and ethnicity are disgusting. You can try to pile on ‘solid’ anecdotal evidence about how bad any one group is but at the end of the day it is just nauseating stereotyping, bigotry and racism. Something you quite amazing seem to be proud of.

Imagine if I had replaced the word ‘gypsy’ with ‘jew’, ‘black’, ‘Asian’, or ‘Welsh’ or ‘Catholic’.

The Jews are scum and a blight on society.
The Blacks are scum and a blight on society.
The Welsh are scum and a blight on society.
The Catholics are scum and a blight on society.

All of these statements should be firmly and vocally condemned because they are vile, hateful, bigoted and racist. But at one time or another in history THESE WERE ACCEPTABLE PUBLIC UTTERENCES IF NOT OFFICIAL POLICIES.

But ‘The Gypsies are scum and a blight on society’ is somehow ok with you. And other on the Snotr forum. And that is disgraceful and disheartening.

FYI – back in the day when I was working at an institution we also had a guy like you who used to walk up and lecture us on his racial and cultural superiority vis-à-vis others and we also had a name for him – a racist douchebag. Must just pain you to see the encroachment of multi-culti in your world. Good. Hope it hurts. People like you deserve zero sympathy.

#16 Judge-Jake By all mean, go bury your head in the soil my friend. This plus a little goodbye invective seems to be your default course of action when asked to think, consider or reflect on a post you have made. Some apparently champion their racism, you apparently like to highlight your ignorance and myopic limitied world view. To each their own. I will give you credit for being consistent.

And I do take comfort in knowing that you and Foxy are a (thankfully) a dwindling segment of British society. Post-colonial immigration, the birth rates of non-white British citizens, immigration and settlement during the EU and most likely post Brexit will all but assure a browning of British society and increased multi-culturalism. It is already a reality in large cities but go on and fight it. You and Foxy and hunker down, celebrate your white Anglo-Saxon Christianess and hate the encroaching dirty ‘foreign’ masses but you are losing and will lose. History is full of dead ender racists such as yourselves. So go ahead and deny and fight it but you will lose in the end. And that gives me real comfort. It is only a matter of time.

#12. Dennis53. Your retort is as childish as it is stupid as it is factually baseless and incorrect. Let’s call this the idiot’s trifecta.

13. Klemm ‘ #11 Me and Fox might be racist (i'm not denying it nor am i ashamed of it)’

Really! What a delightful quality to be proud of! You and Foxy are proud of your prejudice, hatred and antagonism for someone of a different race (in this case the Romani) based on your belief that your own race and/or cultural values and practices are superior. Ok then. Good to know. You must be a real delight to live near, work with, socialize with, or just have to deal with on a daily basis.

And this clause is also jaw dropping in its inanity- ‘ but you're the one who is full of hate here’.

So because I refuse to accept your racist views and vigorously challenge racist diatribes against an ethic / cultural minority I am somehow intolerant and thus full of hate? Is that the logic? You are criticizing me for not accepting your racist position? Have I hurt your racist sensitivities with my pushback? Talk about snowflakes. Thin skinned, insecure and intolerant… you and Foxy really present a delightful public profile.

#10 thefox. Your vile racist invective is really disgusting – perhaps the worst I have seen in Snotr for many years. And #9. Klemm - you aren’t any better.

Thought Police instructing you on what to think , say and do? I simply and I thought quite politely wrote to JJ about the use of the word ‘gypsy’ and its semantic connotation as a slur. A point that you made for me brilliantly in your sick racist diatribe. I just asked people to think about that word and ideally use another that doesn’t carry your hate and racism. You went off the deep-end, clearly it touched a racist nerve in your insecure body.

‘Gypsies are in fact nothing but scum and a blight on society’ Wow. This may be the fastest and most efficient application of Godwin's law ever. ‘Nothing but scum and a blight on society’ is the exact kind of language Hitler used to dehumanize the Jews. And then you rattle off justifications. You are an angry insular fearful disgusting man. Scum, blight, takers, illegals, thieves – do you even bother to listen to yourself? This is a grotesque level of stereotyping. I am surprised that you didn’t advocate hunting them down and killing them.

The most amazing thing IMHO is my polite post to JJ is now down voted while flat out racist nonsense receives positive votes. WTF is wrong with the Snotr community? There are clearly a LOT of problems and issues with the Romani within the EU and within the world. They are an insular culture that isolates itself but calling these people ‘scum and a blight on society’ doesn’t do anyone any good. It only encourages more hate, violence and mistrust. WTF is wrong with you Foxy? I would think that your Christian god would encourage you to show some compassion for your fellow man. Oh, that is right, Romani aren’t human are they? Much easier to denigrate. You have shown us more of your true colours and they are quite disgusting.

#7 JJ. You may not be aware but the term ’gypsy’ is now recognized by many people, governments, institutions and by the Roma themselves to be both pejorative and a slur. Actually, it always has been an offensive racist term but as we, citizens globally speaking, have become more aware of the importance of cultural identities, historical backgrounds and origins / history and respecting one another, it would be great if you would consider updating your lexicon to use the word ‘Romani’ or ‘Roma’ to describe this cultural and ethnic group. The spells, poxes and silly stereotypes are a different matter but for now if you could drop the use of the term ‘gypsy’ it would make the Snotr comment section a more inviting place for all. Thanks.

What is tormenting is to see how many of the beautiful creatures are on some sort of short chain or rope and denied their freedom. The one in the nappies was really disgraceful – wtf is wrong with people? Hey, it is cute, let me put it in my home. These are very intelligent creatures that need space and freedom (trees and jungle / forests) to move and explore for their physical and psychological health. If that is denied they go mad with boredom and start to act out. Then people dump them once the playfullness wears off. And for their size and weight they can be quite dangerous. They should not be held as pets or objects of amusement or tourists attractions IMHO.

#9. snotraddict Just like the reply to Foxy - Hand head slap and thank you. You also just made my point perfectly.

‘#5 Free is not FREE unless no one is paying. Someone is always paying. Let's be honest here’
And since you, as a man, are not directly and personally benifiting (or so you think) so why should you pay for this yes? That isnt selfish or uncharitable in the slightest...

It is so offensive to you that a necessary / required ‘item’ for ½ the world’s population be subsidized by taxes? Really? Our taxes go to pay for many things we may not agree with, one would think that a little compassion and support might be in order. To be honest I also think that oral contraceptives, given the costs, should also be covered – something that many men also enjoy the benefits of I might add.

And ‘38 Jesus Christ, don't you have anything better to do than drone on.’

#1. cameramaster made an observation and I replied. And then Foxy’s post was a great example of why this taxation issue persists.

I take it for you the comments posting section is not for discussion but just pithy short reflections. As your President Donaldo Drumpf would say – SAD. You don’t have to engage but why the need disparage?

#3. thefox. Hand head slap and thank you. You just made my point perfectly.

I don’t know what is worse, your fallacious comparison and reasoning (sanitary products are equivalent to razors) or your as apparent (but presumably denied) sexism and ignorance – why should women get something tax-less? I, as a man, demand something as well.

Shaving, while certainly governed by cultural, social, civil and even personal norms / values and expectations – in its most basic form is a choice. Yes, your employment, social situation, cultural, personal values and comfort etc may require it but at its base level shaving is an opinion, a choice, for men.

Monthly menses for all women of reproductive age is NOT. Yes, it can be delayed or supressed by hormonal contraception but that in and of itself is quite expensive in most countries. And it is not an option for many of the world’s women.

You can chose not to shave but a great majority of women cannot chose to not ovulate and menstruate which then require (ideally) the use of feminine hygiene products. A tax of any amount on these items is often seen as an additional indignity. This is not frivolous or optional for most women. Many men chose to shave, some don’t. I hope you see the failure of your comparison.

Now this should be an interesting thread ;-) Cant wait for the Merican lads to chime in.

Why are tampons taxed? Well two reasons. One, if you live in a county with a VAT tax, say in the EU or OZ, apparently the regulations say that you can’t have a zero tax rate so feminine sanitary products get taxed.

If you live in the US then the tampon tax rates vary between States. Now a few states don’t tax such items but a great majority do and because many state legislatures are often disproportionality male in membership and leadership this issue isn’t seen as important or that someone such items are equivalent to condoms and this not required per se and a luxury item. Tell that to a woman in her reproductive years. Menstruation is sadly still a social taboo topic and so discussion of it and tampon taxes are often silenced due to concerns over inappropriate public discourse and the ‘not my problem’ mentality of male law makers. And that is a shame in the 21st century.

(damn I have paragraphed again. Now JJ will need to point this out and fjwjr will be upset because this may accidently ‘enlighten’ him. Or not. Who knows? I guess we shall see. ;-.)

#~ 10. fjwjr 'As if you actually think that anything you say will somehow 'enlighten' me........'

No, no I didn't and that was clearly the point. You and your Trumpian brethren are sadly invulnerable to self-reflection, objective reality, facts, feedback and critical thinking. You wilfully chose to not be enlightened, content with what you know, self-assured and incurious and threated by anyone who dares to disagree And yet you and your brothers dare to call others ‘snowflakes’ ... Oh the irony. ;-)

First you have promoted the ingenuity of Canadians… this couple lives in Sundre, Alberta, whatever happened to USA first #MAGA and then, and this is the worst part, they use solar, SOLAR, to help keep it clean and illuminated. Not energy from clean coal technology or good natural gas from fracking but highly unprofitable and unstable solar.

‘It’s important to manage the water quality, so he uses several forms of chlorine in conjunction with algaecide and a solar powered aeration system, which he constructed himself. Jerry also built a patio and dock for people to walk right into the pond. Solar lights illuminate the area, making it a great place to spend time even, after the sun has set’

Championing Canadians who use solar and respect the environment? Yikes. Talk about liberal latte Volvo driving gay marriage supporting freedom hating nonsense. I for one expected better from you Suxy, my Trumpian ambassador. MAGA please my brother. Now is not the time to lose focus.

#6. fjwjr ‘Just threw in my comment to see how long it would take to get someone 'paragraphing' as #5 put it. That didn't take long.’

Ahh fjwjr.. yes, it is completely believable that you just set some ‘paragraphing’ bait and made a little wager with yourself that someone would take it. Methinks you are taking liberties with the truth. Getting called out on the misuse of ‘fascist’ probably stung but why double down on it? You only look desperate.

My advice, use the buck that you just won in a self-wager, add a few more, and purchase a book or two. You can start with Harry G. Frankfurt’s (2005) "On Bullshit" and David Cay Johnston’s (2016) The Making of Donald Trump. As for the fibbing – control yourself man and think about your audience before you attempt to play the BS game.

# 2. fjwjr and #3. marx0012. Did it ever occur to you that some people may have simply not found this video to be funny? Many reasons to down vote a vid and not all are based primarily on a dislike of Trump.

Anyway – you had to resort to immediate name calling ‘fascists’ and ‘liberal snowflakes’. It is a pity that impulsive derogatory responses are now de rigueur in America thanks to your President and his brand of egocentric selfish politics and your impulsive lashing out unfortunately epitomizes the worst of American culture and politics right now.

It is no secret that I find Trump to be a disgrace and a colossal embarrassment; however I actually found this video to be kind of funny and wouldn’t down vote it. ‘The most thumbs up ever for an SNL skit? ‘ No. Wishful thinking Suxy but that is your Trump love shining through. Fair enough.

And down voting makes someone a fascist? # 2. fjwjr you really need to read up on what a fascist ideology entails. You clearly have no idea what you are talking about. It is far more than simply disagreeing with your political opinion. Such impulsive nonsensical name calling just makes you look silly and uninformed. And sadly part of Trump's impervious to reality, feeding on fear, unquestioningly loyal base.

People are entitled to opinions, it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are ‘fascists’ or ‘snowflakes’. It is called being part of and participating in civil society. This rush to denigrate and humiliate those who may have the audacity to disagree is most depressing.

# 4. Dennis53 A while back you requested the following ‘Don't call me a racist’.

Your response to a crime committed by a what appears to be a non-Anglo Saxon is ‘Deport in a coffin please’. You have no idea if that man is a citizen or not yet based solely on his skin colour you suggest deportation. That is textbook racism. And then to suggest that the theft of personal items is worth a human life?! Are you kidding me? That is both an overreaction and a consequence I might add that puts you in the company of extremist Muslims – theft = death. Well done! Theft of personal property is certainly a violation of privacy and property , a pain to replace, a crime etc etc and should be punished. That is why countries have criminal legal systems and courts and jails etc but to suggest ‘Deport in a coffin’ is sickeningly racist and shows us your true, and disgusting, racist ethno-nationalist colours.

Indeed. I was simply commenting with respect to #1 wish for the whole show and #2’s post of the link. 2.37 of your life is one thing – the full vid presumably has different motivations.

Also- what kicked this off, before I discovered who and what this man was, was the categorization of this video under ‘Science’. I clicked because it was labelled science and unfortunately it was anything but. Comedy is more appropriate and then trite comedy at best. Granted he does his stand up with some neat head props on classical Greek columns so he is doing a nice job of projecting authority and competence. Again – IMHO helps to know from where this video was taken, i.e his marriage counselling seminars.

Sigh. You don’t see it in the mildly funny little clip but this man is a pastor in the Celebration Church chain and this is apparently part of his ‘How to make marriages work’ collection / tour. If you like this harmless inspirational type humour then more power to you but one should be aware of what and where he is coming from.

His church adheres to the following principles:

1) Celebration Church believes that the Bible is God’s Word. It is accurate, authoritative and applicable to our everyday lives

2) Celebration Church believes that in order to receive forgiveness and the ‘new birth’ we must repent of our sins, believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and submit to His will for our lives

3) The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of mankind, is the sole and final of all that Celebration Church believes

4) ) Celebration Church believes that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other.

Etc etc … good conservative Christian values. If that is what you like then click on #2’s link.

One should just be aware IMHO of the ideology and motivation behind his seminars is all i am suggestiong before you decide to investany more of your time. He is not a comedian per se but a pastor and a marriage councillor.

Reporter? That is the 'brown haired guy who is not Steve Doocy' and one of the Fox & Friends morning brain trust hosts that President Trump relies on for all of his news. He is a news reader and host, not a reporter, and a stunningly stupid human being. His contributions include ' "[In the United States] we keep marrying other species and other ethnics. . . .”, "All terrorists are Muslims", "You grew up on tacos" (to a stunned and offended and protesting Hispanic host), "Bowe Bergdahl's father looks like a member of the Taliban" (the father grew the beard to symbolize the son's time in captivity as a POW) and “Do you make Kool-Aid?" (to his horrified black co-host). https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brian_Kilmeade. And of course he always heartily promotes the ‘Fake news’ meme.

He is a wilfully ignorant twit and beautifully symbolizes the disingenuous and mission of Fox news and the erosion of trust in America’s 4th estate – the media. Tossing a ball into a toddler’s face is really his forte; however no one ever expected him to literally do it. I guess he has just grown so comfortable with it that he got carried away.

This vid is really a cry for help. Angus is bored out of his mind and doing his best not to go crazy. 1/2 day? I suspect all day. I know it can be tough to arrange but someone needs to take this beautiful critter out for a walk or a run during the day so he can release his energy in less destructive and more exciting ways. Goldens have to be some of the sweetest dogs temperment and personality wise. He just emotes love and devotion and happiness.

I hesitate to post in my own video submission but I challenge anyone to to doubt the sensitivity and awareness and care that critters, that is pets, have towards little humans. Critters know and that is an amazing demonstration of empathy and critter level cognition - how people continue to abuse and mistreat and harm pets, animals we agree to look out for, is beyond me. Pets are pets and animals are animals but to deny that they have a level of awareness and sensitivity and that they should be treated with dignity always amazes me in a very negative way, We invite them into our homes and should treat them accordingly IMHO.

# 1. Meggey 'That is a demonstration flight, and i would like to see that plane with full passengers on i bet it would not be able to take off vertically like that'

Exactly. Reality please - apologies to Thunders but people would be sick all over the place if any pilot tried this with actual passengers on board.

test pilots can do amazing things with an empty plane. people and luggage and not wanting to scare the poo out of passengers make a take off a very different thing. That would be a take off that involves a more mundane increase the altitude in a way that wont alarm the passengers and press them into their seats with a scary g-force kind of way

If you have ever seen a bird egg hatch the chick does NOT look or act or react like the ones in this vid. With all due respect I think #4 is right and this is a fake. Just watch the vid in the link you posted – that is what they look like. Not all spry and clean but stunned and adjusting to the new world.

And regardless, JJ had it right, fek and all – even in a fake video dropping chicks into a hot pan (it appears the first two eggs are cooking so the pan is hot) is NOT funny. Not feking funny at all. This is a living critter and should not be burned in the name of a prank. I don’t find animal cruelty amusing. Some critters are tasty, yes, but I think we can do better than torturing animals for our amusement.

Thanks for the link! Much appreciated. Now we have something to talk about ;-)

I will however respectfully disagree with your statement on a number of grounds.

First, let’s look at the source of this story – the Telegraph. This is a conservative broadsheet by its editorial page identification and pro-business so rebutting what is an empirical fact reached in a number of proper studies (more below) is not surprising. In reading the story some hints of the ideological slant were immediately apparent IMHO.
So this title claiming a gap doesn’t exist flies in the face of many many studies. ‘ A gender pay gap between men and women who do the same job does not exist, according to a report which also found the "glass ceiling" is the real reason why women receive smaller pay packets than men.

So it is sexism (i.e. the glass ceiling) and not deliberate wage inequality? How does one tease those apart?

The it goes on ‘The study, by human resources firm Hay Group, analysed over 8 million workers in 33 different countries and found that women working in the same job function and at the same level within UK firms, on average are paid just 0.8pc less than their male equivalents’

Great. But at no time are we linked to the Hay Group study and allowed to review its methodology. So now I am suspicious. Interestingly some of the hyperlinks in the story you cite also have some more very ideologically revealing headlines.

‘The gender pay gap might be unfair, but it's not the fault of 'sexist' employers
The gender pay gap – such as it exists at all – simply reflects society and the different choices different people make

What? This is the standard conservative response ‘reflects society and the different choices different people make’ and while it may have been used to justify gender inequality in the 1960’2, 70’s and such – no modern nation accepts this. Times and laws and the roles of women have changed.

Another hyperlink in the story goes to this which contradicts the Hay Group study – this time using gov’t data
Gender pay gap league tables to 'name and shame' companies (12:01AM GMT 12 Feb 2016)

Nicky Morgan, the Education Secretary and equalities minister, announces plans to publish league tables of the gender pay gap of all companies with over 250 employees.

And ‘women on average still earn 19.1 per cent less than men - equivalent to 80p for every pound earned by a man. In the finance and insurance sector the pay gap is 39.5 per cent..

And back to my concern over the source, the Telegraph. For a more empirical and accurate assessment of the gender pay situation I went to the IMF website. They do numbers and research properly. And look they have a dedicated page.

So, respectfully, I think it is true. One should always look for the most methodologically transparent and rigours studies and sources possible and conservative UK broadsheets and ‘studies by X’ with zero ability to look at how the result was achieved fails this test. But sadly passes for acceptable journalism.

Interesting advert and certainly laudable goals. But also a clever PR move.

So an article from the Business Insider states that GE currently employs 14,700 women – making women 18% of its workforce. By 2020 as a ‘commitment to close the gender gap at its organization’ GE promises ‘to place 20,000 women in technical roles by 2020’. So that is roughly what a 7% increase? Basically in three years’ time they hope to go from 18% to 25% of their workforce being women. Not a bad start. Still 20,000 women sounds better than a 7% increase. That said (now my curiosity kicked in) apparently ‘Women make up only about one-quarter (25.8%) of those in STEM occupations in 2016’ and 25% is about right for post graduate degrees so GE seems to be on track to keep pace with Uni graduates. So I guess closing the gender gap will take some time ;-) Kudos to GE – gotta start somewhere.

> 2. snotraddict 'They just want to save money on their payroll.'

A painful LOL. It is painfully amusing because it could be true if new hires aren’t vigilant about verifying pay equality. And actually not funny but sadly serious because in 2017 women still on average earn less for doing the exact same job as their equally qualified male counterparts.

Oh no Thunders. You just asked JJ a 'Wh' question with respect to one of his posted comments. Danger!!
I suspect he will try to be a wacky Zen master on you and reply with something adroit like this:

#5. thundersnow What is your religion?

You know, a perfectly reasonable and transparent follow up.
Or ignore the question entirely.
Good luck getting an answer from him. He has demonstrated that he really isn’t that kind of person.
He is happy to leave a loaded statement on the table. It gives him the cover he needs to remain slightly respectable with the least amount of effort.

I think we can ignore your pejorative assertion that that ‘socialism’ and thus socialists are inherently bad or nefarious. Talk about childish. Such a reaction indicates that you have no idea what the basic tenants of socialism are or how you, as an American, currently participate in socialist enterprises as a US citizen.
As for your counter evidence. This speaks volumes about you and really little about the points made in the video. Your sources are embarrassing to the civilized Snotr reader.

1) Bare naked Islam website. The motto is ‘‘It isn’t Islamophobia when they really ARE trying to kill you’

‘Bare Naked Islam is a news and opinion website with an extreme right wing bias. This source promotes extreme Islamophobia and is classified as an Anti-Islam hate group by the Southern Poverty Law Centre. Further, this source has a poor record with fact checking. This is a very unreliable hate group’

But that is not to say it isn’t endorsed by the fine people at Stormfront. A white nationalist, white supremacist and neo-Nazi Internet forum that was the Web's first major racial hate site. (Wiki)

The chairman is John R. Bolton. Yes, that moustachioed neocon who wants war with Iran and is also fervently anti Muslim. Hardly a champion of truth.

These two sources have zero legitimacy and are just ugly propaganda sites. Find something respectable and you may have a discussion but no one should take these links or you seriously until you demonstrate otherwise.

#35. Judge-Jake It is one thing to play the fool, it is another to be one. Your non sequitur into race and your follow up display of perverse refusal and ignorance speaks volumes. And the persistence make you a Troll.

Perhaps you should go back under the bridge to play with your long lost pooh stick. It would be appropriate for a man of your wit, wisdom and contributions.

#33. Judge-Jake My apologies for the Brexit mischaracterization. It was the other old crusty Brit Foxy who has issues with foreigners in HIS country etc etc. I do apologize.

As for being ‘shielded’ about my race and thus ‘ashamed’ of it , I am simply trying to understand what on earth made you go there. The conversation was about sexism and misogyny and your non sequitur – that somehow I am somehow black? due to my comments - is a new level of stupid and ignorance even for you.

I have asked you twice to explain the relevance to me and you have ignored it. Somehow parlaying that into a question about my racial identity and underlying motivations as if that has anything to do about anything discussed so far is so stupid and irrellevant that I am still gobsmacked by your question and assertion.

And then today's follow up condescension wrapped in a self-serving recitation of your cultural sensitivity and hetero creds – you are quite the package JJ. The fact that you can’t see how your question is offensive and racially tinged and utterly irrelevant is remarkable.

JJ, your idiosyncrasies have made you a bit more palatable than Suxy and Foxy but that charm has officially worn off with this troll routine.

Strife happens because someone has finally decided to call you out for all of the racist, bigoted, misogynistic, sexist and nationalistic nonsense that you post on Snotr – either in the comments sections of via video titles.

The admins are right to allow these vids to be posted. I have never said they should be censored. Or should your right to post them. They provide an excellent platform in which to discuss opinions, perspective, and world views, to exchange ideas and to engage in a dialogue with people from around the world. But you are such an insecure person that you have yet to show any spine or courage to defend any of the incendiary crap that you post on Sntor. And that is simply sad.

I am not the only person to see meanings in videos, plenty of good critical thinkers in the Snotr community, but I am the most vocal. ANY pushback is a threat to your identity. What you say is always THE BEST, the MOST CORRECT, and therefore immune from critique. Sorry but no one hold such status here. Even a egocentric righteous man such as yourself.

I openly admit error, mistakes, and try to learn from them. You just retreat like a turtle into your insular world.

And yes, you post it you do own it. You can modify the title and comments as you see fit thus it is an expression of your positionality whether you admit it or not. But even that act is threatening and thus denied by you.

You have been a consistent intellectual disappointment Suxy but I have always hoped you might engage- you know reflect and think for a change. But that seems to be beyond you. You are governed by your insecurities. Others like JJ, Foxy, Snotradict may say things I find offensive but they do show some engagement in-between the ad hominem attacks and personal insults. But you are in a class(less) by yourself. Drawing comfort from sympathetic up votes. Sigh. That is the lazy way out. If you hold a conviction then you should be able to articulate why. Why you refuse and find that so threatening continues to be a damming indictment of both your character and contributions to date.

Perhaps the snort comments section should just allow emojis? I imagine that would satisfy your emotional and intellectual appetite and Foxy’s demand for brevity. However I would find that be a sad development.

JJ – again, with all due respect what on earth does my racial or ethnic background have to do with a discussion on the sexism and misogyny expressed in Suxy’s vid title and comments???

It doesnt hence my confusion.

If you can make a cogent argument as to its relevance then I will be happy to expand our discussion but until then – with all due respect where the hell are you going with such a question? Really. Please explain how skin colour fits into this.

And racial pride and/or a lack there of? You are really going into the deep end my friend. I know from past posts you are pro Brexit and have a dislike of foreigners in the UK but these racialized tendencies of yours are very unbecoming and kind of disgraceful.

Again, please explain how skin colour fits into this discussion of Suxy’s vid title and comments. Do that and we can move on.

Ummm what? JJ. I don’t want to misinterpret your question. Are you asking about my racial background?
And if so, why is this of importance and/or relevance?
You have to help me out here.
Looking forward to your follow-up…

#15. sux2bu Welcome back! And you pick up where you left off – scurrying away from the contents of yet another post.

[I don't read his gibberish] I will be polite and call this what it is, a white lie. You clearly read my posts but your defensiveness and insecurities sadly don’t allow you to either reflect or critically think about what you have written or how it is legitimately perceived by others.

[I just copied and pasted what was already there without any thought] and therein lies many of your problems to date. You don’t think things through. When you cut paste and post a title – you own it Suxy, you have given it your imprimatur of Suxy approval, and like it or not this means you have endorsed it. Running away after legitimate criticism is just cowardly IMHO. I wish you would take responsibility and ownership for once rather than tucking tail and insulting me on you way out the door. Fact is you agree with the title and the caricature of the woman and the bear having the last laugh until you say otherwise. So – say it if you actually and honestly believe it. I dare you to engage for once.

The fact that you cannot see the inherent sexism and misogyny in this title is beyond me. Others in the Snotr community are also uncomfortable. Black bear brown bear distinction is really irrelevant – why you posted this with the title intact is. And I like the 42nd wedding anniversary ref, the inference is that clearly you can’t harbour sexist feelings if you have been married for so long. Clever insert (and follow up denial) to embellish your non sexist creds. But the fact remains all you have done thus far is to attack me and distance yourself from any responsibility. SAD. WEAK.

# 16 ‘why she didn't go and pepper spray him away from the kayak’
Pepper spray is really useless in wind and rain and one can hear the rain in the vid. Plus she wasn’t close enough. The primary ingredient is Cheyanne pepper and it needs to get in the bear’s nose and then it is only temporary. If the bear is determined you are out of luck. And all advice I have read is don’t get that close to a determined bear – your wellbeing and health is not worth the cost of replacing your gear.

#17 ‘sux .. you wrote the title or copypasted it from the source?’
It really doesn’t matter does it? You post it you own it / endorse the content or message. Period. Sux posted the title and in the ‘read more section’. That effort strongly suggests until he says otherwise that he agreed with the tone, tenor and content. I just wish he would have the courage and fortitude to stand by his posts for once and the content and ideas that he is expressing to the Snotr community. Inflammatory vid or post. Followed by not me, just posting/saying, then denial / personal attack upon any detractors and then running away seems to be all he is capable of right now. Sadly.

#12. Foxy. ‘sudden and impatient’ and ‘angry and impassioned’ . Is that really how you construe my writing? If anything, as you incessantly complain, my posts are too long (I think and write them), so not really ‘sudden or impatient’ and you seem to confuse conviction and principle and efforts to support my opinion / position with ‘anger and impassion’. If anything I try to be as dispassionate as possible in most of my posts when making arguments or points. But that doesn’t mean that I don’t have passionate convictions and a willingness to call someone out when I feel it is warranted. I appreciate the efforts Foxy but this is a weak face save at best. It is great that you are both using your big boy words and looking them up – all I ask is that you try to be more semantically accurate. And dont forget to smile!!

#7. Judge-Jake LOL. If you didn’t have a long record of being one of Snotr’s most charming nutters with your off the wall reflections and such I would say that, you Sir, are trolling us with this ‘menstruation hypothesis’ rant.

*FWIW #4 Foxy, take notes, many of JJ’s posts would qualify as rants – funny idiosyncratic stream of consciousness rants*

JJ, personally, I never would have guessed that you would go there, or why anyone would go there with this vid but you did - so be it. Thanks?

Yikes buddy, you may want to consult http://www.dictionary.com/ next time before posting. You seem to have no firm grasp of the meaning of the words ‘petulant’ or ‘rant’. But I bet they felt good when you typed them so why not - Smile!!

So in the report it states ‘‘Maley says that’s not her regular voice. Her pitch goes up when she’s stressed. She says she was trying to talk loudly, so the bear might leave. She also has some professional experience being loud.’

Exactly. Not the MOST ANNOYING CHICK ever. What is it with Sux and his abuse of superlatives?

She shared it herself – fair enough, point well made, but this hardly makes her an ‘idiot’ as Sux proclaims (she is actually an experienced guide) nor does the bear get the last laugh if she is using this vid and publicity to make some money to replace her damaged gear. As long as she uploaded the vid, great, but one should never assume that she did in this day and age AND why the condescension and criticism for her voice and actions? She was pleading for her gear. The way Sux presented this, calling her an ‘annoying chick’, and the chuckle he got at her expense is textbook sexism. I would love to see him confront a bear of that size. Oh wait, he has a gun, so he would have stood his ground. (And been mauled to death after needlessly wounding a bear). She did the only thing she could do without endangering herself.

‘Maley will spend the winter mushing dogs in Wyoming’. She seems more like a kick ass outdoors chick IMHO.

Sux, hand head slap sigh again. You really need to work on your inferential reasoning skills. The clip may not paint a desperate woman in the best light; however it is her gear being chewed/mauled by a large bear BTW and the inability to do anything about it, the complete lack of agency and control, will make anyone frustrated. Cheering for the bear really? Just because of her vocal qualities? That is textbook sexism BTW.

The sigh is due to your lack of inferential reasoning skills on display once again. [She filmed it herself that means SHE must be the one who made the clip go public] Really? Your misogyny is making you look foolish. She filmed it of course but that in NO way infers that she made the clip go public. She most likely shared it with family friends and then it made its way to the internet. Perhaps she released it but you simply can’t infer that she is the one who made it go public. Or that she wanted it in the public domain or intended it for the public domain. Much less that she is such an ‘idiot' or that the bear gets the ‘last laugh’. Your impulsive desire to ridicule and diminish and demean this woman because of her reaction to a wild bear is really unfortunate - and again textbook sexism.

#4. kirkelicious ‘#3 Applying Bayesian heuristics to lottery chances does not make too much sense.’

Indeed. Nice comment. To understand a chance of winning in a lottery one really just needs to have an understanding of probability, sample size, distribution, randomness, odd, etc etc. Often the probability of winning or odds are presented right on the back of lotto tickets. One has no control over a lotto draw. But that doesn’t stop people ;-) Numerous research papers have shown that in big national lottos that no strategy, i.e. picking a random number is significantly better (ok the odds are still quite low) than trying to apply a ‘sure thing method’ (a stats approach).

Bayesian approaches to probability and calculating probabilistic outcomes – especially with respect to a cost benefit type analysis would be useful to someone trying to decide if he or she should play the lotto versus investing the money elsewhere. I think a card game like poker is a good example where Bayes theorem works nicely. Yes you have odds but you also have players making decisions based on what they believe to be true or possible and reacting to decision made by others doing the same calculations. Logic, odds, is he/she bluffing, what has been played so far.. all of those factors influencing what card you play (or not), how much to bet, when to fold or go all in – now that that of probabilistic thinking and mental calculus can be quite ‘Bayesian’ depending on the person.

Nice video Thunders!! I imagine most lay people don’t know of or appreciate Bayes work with respect to quantifying uncertainty and the role that this process plays in our development and maintenance of epistemic beliefs. It can be a bit heady, and any equation, as Steven Hawking once said, will halve the interest [ok he said halve the sales of a book] but this vid doesn’t shy away from them and it is worth the mental effort. Lovely little informal lecture . ;-)

#22 Fox. Using a personal insult as a ‘trap’ is pedantic and immature. You have sadly confused transparent laziness and face saving with craftiness and guile and disappointed me yet again. But dont worry - smile!! my friend I wont hold it against you

#19. thefox I can assure you that I am a very good party guest with respect to discourse in terms of turn taking and listening. Unlike some, I am actually quite interested to hear about other people’s opinions, ideas etc because it helps to inform, refine, expand my own worldview. Yes, my posts can have a soliloquy-esque quality but that is due in large part to the medium - a comment ‘post’, which is not interactive in nature, versus a ‘conversation’ which is. And yes, I do tend to write a lot but this is due to the content / assertions / claims of the posts I am responding to and my anticipation of the counter arguments. And again, a post is not inherently dialogic in nature. It can be but topics can jump around so IMHO you have to get your thoughts out in one go. And loaded or false assertions take time to deconstruct and rebut. I do however find it disappointing that you have chosen to disingenuously conflate two very different mediums to make a pejorative assumption about my personality and interpersonal conversation habits but if cheap shots satisfy your minimalist mind-set and make you smile then so be it. Happy to make you smile again my diminutive little friend.

#14. sux2bu ‘don't remain silent , get out there in your black hoodie and mask and riot and set fires and do other mayhem to show your true selves’

What on earth are you talking about? Yet another silly and inaccurate gross stereotype in lieu of actually engaging with a comment. Also, a nice an example of another standard Trump supporter discourse tactic - if an ad hominem attack is not possible then try undermine any organized opposition to Drumpf and his actions/polices etc. by propagating the false assertion that it is somehow inherently linked to violence and illegality or a lack of respect for the law.

A) You are ignoring the countless peaceful anti-Drumpf administration rallies that have been held without violence (Women’s march, much more bigly attendance than the inauguration, SAD, the Science march, anti-Muslim ban protests at airports etc. etc.),

B) that at any heated demonstration featuring established police lines and barriers a small number of protesters will be inevitably arrested for violating commands etc. as an effort to maintain order and public safety (we can debate the legality of that) but that doesn’t imply they arrive or were motivated by physically violent intents, and

C) ANY protest against the govt as an entity will inevitably bring out ‘opportunistic anarchists’ who will use the opportunity to engage in violence and destruction to achieve their own independent political objectives. This last group is always a small but present minority, we have them as well, their opportunism and presence is predictable – as is the violence but in almost 99% of the cases they do not represent the motivations or goals of the protesters writ large.

To suggest that masked black hoodie wearing riot intent protestors is representative of the anti- Drumpf movement in the US is a weak and false dodge. To characterize the goals and intent of a mass movement by the actions of a few is also specious. This is the equivalent of me pointing to the well documented physical violence against the non violent vocally protesting anti-trump demonstrators at Trump rallies, a great majority of which was white on person of colour violence, leading up to the election, to assert that ALL Trump supporters are therefore racist and prone to violence. That would be unfair and an equivalent gross stereotype. All trump supporters are not racists or nationalists or bigots – but some are. Just like all anti-Drumpf protesters are not black hoodie wearing ‘opportunistic anarchists’ but a few do slip into their ranks.

This is an important distinction WITH a difference that one could reasonably think that you would be aware of.

Sigh. I tried to remain silent but the impulsively idolizing Drumpf masses have struck again as evidenced by all the down votes on any comment even remotely critical or sarcastic about him. Again, I ask, why such reverence for a man who would have nothing to do with you in the real world, whose tax and ‘healthcare’ policies alone do not just disfavour but hurt the working classes, and whose own actions and words, on literally a daily basis show contempt for American democratic principles, open contempt the rule of law, contempt for the office of the presidency, ignorance and contempt for the safety and security of the United States and its allies etc etc. None of this has made an impact on you? Has nothing diminished his lustre in your eyes? Judging by the predictable rush to downvote anything that isn’t laudatory – the answer appears to be no. The extent of this blind Drumpf worshiping phenomenon never ceases to amaze me. And also perplexes and scares the sh*t out of me.

The whole lot are a bunch of knuckleheads. The motorcyclists for jumping over what may appear to be a main track for jeeps and not having a lookout for traffic, and the jeep drivers for blithely driving on once they enter an area with geared up motorcyclist on the tops of dunes. And to both groups for literally managing to run across each other in what appears to be a pretty big open desolate desert. Takes some serious luck to create the conditions for this little near accident. One the plus side the moto rider has some great footage and an excellent story to tell - complete with proof.

Oh man (again). i was really hoping that the table would fail or something would drop from the ceiling... anything but the sound of what was most likely a humerus bone snapping. That was horrible. I am wincing as I type....

3. ComentAtor [with our first son, we had time we tried to teach him everything ]

LOL. That is both the beauty and the frustration about first language acquisition and the cognitive development of children. Parents, especially with the first child, often try to teach their kids everything but it really analogous to just nudging the bow of a boat as it rushes down river with a strong current. Children learn and acquire far more and far faster than care givers could ever hope to teach, model or present. And they do what they do (walk, talk, etc) on their own schedules. Parental input can guide and prod and try to facilitate but in the end – the child will do it when he or she is ready. And only he or she knows when that time is. Much to the parents dismay. Why isnt Veronika speaking / walking yet?? As for the 2nd child, birth order is yet another fascinating confound and can really mess parents up. Often #2, or 3 or 4 etc takes longer because siblings take over and provide support for certain needs and roles – thus delaying things. Beauty and frustration...

Looks like some kind of gearing failed (due to weight load?) and reverse was largely uncontrolled with gravity and the weight of the people taking over. I have seen other such escalator fail vids. Interesting that escalators don’t (perhaps they do but they dont seem to very quick to kick in) have automatic braking systems that kick in like lifts to limit the backward motion. Must be an engineering thing..

[A male babirusa's canines] given time, they end up twisting and penetrating the animal's own skull!

The key construction here is ‘given time’. Predation and life will most likely render this feature a non-issue, like prostate cancer in many older 70 plus men (they will die of other causes before it become life threatening). Wikipedia is perhaps more accurate with this description ‘If a babirusa does not grind its tusks (achievable through regular activity), they can eventually keep growing so as to penetrate the animal's own skull’. Can eventually.

If this odd trait was such an evolutionary disadvantage this species would have died out ages ago. In fact wiki goes on to say ‘prehistoric paintings of babirusa found in caves on the island of Sulawesi in Indonesia have been dated back at least 35,400 years’ so clearly this critter has done all right for itself in spite of its tusks.

#18. Scotsman 'I come on every day but now no longer or rarely comment'

That is a shame. I wish more people would use this opportunity to express thoughts and opinions even if the potentially (or actual) reply is angry and hostile. This is why we present ourselves avatars, it gives everyone a degree of anonymity and what I would hope is the confidence to take on challenging and aggressive stances, or impolite responses, with some confidence and reassurance that if someone is a complete tw*t – ok.. no need to personalize it or internalize it. It is a safe risk taking space (yes, I can hear the liberal cuck slur about to be released) but squish aside – it is just that, a forum to exchange opinions, thoughts, and ideas. And to reflect on them when challenged. Perhaps that last bit may not be appealing to all. But it is what I feel is lacking in today’s society. Open critical thought and critical self-reflection. I fear to many have lost the confidence to engage in any type of ratiocination and just accept things out of apathy and hopeless and a sense of futility. And that depresses me to be honest.

# 14. MindTrick . As one of the unnamed offenders, and I appreciated your tact in expressing your opinion and politely calling me (and others) out – I agree. You make a good and valuable point. This is a public forum and I do not want to drive people away – just the opposite. I like the opportunity to engage with people here. So, good message received and I will do my part to scale it back.
Respectfully,
Austin

12. thundersnow Fair enough re Sux but if he did watch the video at no point did the 'Farmer spray manure all over protesters' as was indicated in the title. The youtube title is 'Farmer sprays poop all over protestors trespassing on his land ...' and I suspect is where Suxy got it. I honestly expected to see something a bit more gross and this vid did not deliver - which is probably for the best ;-) I still think it was a very clever passive agressive move from the farmer.

#10. sux2bu 'Your whole made-up scenario is ridiculous.'
Umm what? I am simpy working for the story that #1. repcentbl posted.
I know you appear to not be fond of reading but I didnt make anything up. Read the story and watched the vid.
Headline 'Farmer sprays manure at '
1st paragraph 'an angry farmer attempted to spray Oscar-winning actress Emma Thompson ' key words attempted to. .
Dear god, you really do have an issue with objective reality.
Incidental spatter fine, but he did not spray poo on people. If she had been hit it would have been noted.
The story would have most likely carried that fact given the celebs.
Take a deep breath - you become even more irrational when your dander is up.

#6. sux2bu. It is your history of playing lose with verifiable and empirical evidence and your embrace of ‘alternative facts’ is what sets you up for extra scrutiny and the occasional request for verification. Unfair and a double standard, perhaps, you brought this on yourself. And of course your tendency to turn tail, mutter an ad hominem attack and scurry away when attention is brought to said claims - this only encourages extra attention.

For a supposedly bold strongly opinionated person you really have the thinnest of skin and an unexpectedly high degree of insecurity. Occam’s razor strongly suggests that the Snopes reporting is most likely what happened. Russian airline, in financial troubles etc. etc. . Unless you wish to argue that these are not YAK 40 aircraft NOT TRUE! FAKE IDENTIFICATION! and so Snopes is off base. But rather then admit a perfectly reasonable and understandable and legitimate error you get all defensive and try to call it a wash. Sputter sputter ‘No one really knows’. Sigh. I can see why you are a Trump supporter, you even mimic his discourse patterns! You can’t even walk back something and admit error on something that wasn’t really your fault. What should have been no harm no foul to most is still threatening to you? How interesting. And revealing.

In Thunders defence part of her response may be due in fact, wait for it, due to Sux2bu ONCE again misleading viewers with his title. Sux, you may live in a world of alternative facts but for f*cks sake – details matter. There is a substantive difference, in terms of consequence and impact, between the prepositions ‘ON’ as you claim and ‘AT’ as the video and article link describe it. The farmer did not spray poop ON anyone. In fact he was quite clever and came close, at 0.37 while he is backing up, he doesn’t use the chance to spray at the people behind him but he repositions and starts the spray once clear. He is no dummy – he remained presumably within the law. It would have literally inflammatory if he sprayed them, farm animal faeces is not a healthy or advisable thing to come in contact with, and even though it was his property he may have faced charges and or liability by wilfully spraying people.

But he didn’t, so your title ‘sprays manure all over protesters’ is misleading at best.

Did you watch the video? I imagine you will want to proclaim this this objective reality is FAKE and your title was just reporting ‘alternative facts’. Details matter Sux and it is what sets us off time and time again. And this is a pity because in this case I agree with you. Leaving the issue of fracking aside, the issue has gone to court, an injunction has been in place banning protesters from the land near Preston since 2014, and the fracking permit was thrown out in 2015 and is under appeal, so it is a stalemate. And the farmer just wants to get on with his livelihood. I can see why he is getting annoyed. And this is the time of year for poo spreading so – good on him. Nice little passive aggressive move. That stench is horrific. It is nauseating from 50 meters away. And he steered clear of people. Granted wafting vapours and particles will come in contact but he is working his land as he has a right.

Farming is hard enough, I don’t think people understand or appreciate how labour and time and devotion demanting e farming (and nursing for that matter) is as an occupation and the financial rewards are not always the greatest - if at all. In this case, as long as both sides are in court – leave the farmer alone and let him do his job. A celeb attended PR stunt in violation of a court order … yeah… I think a whiff of poo was already in the air before the farmer showed up with his sprayer.

‘It’s likely that the destruction of this plane was a company decision, not a rash act of violence. In fact, a 2015 article in the Moscow Times reported that Russian airline UTair was experiencing financial troubles, and had decided to get rid of nearly half of its planes as a result. The most probable actual explanation is that the video shows what a former UTair Yak-40 getting scrapped.’

Once again details and facts matter Sux. Check before you post. Or just chalk it up again to ‘alternative facts’ and ‘liberal bias’. Or an honest mistake. I suspect it was the latter but the question remains does Sux have it in him to admit it?? What say you Suxy?

Sux, I am disappointed that you have moved so quickly into silly ad hominem attacks and childish name calling. This kind of retort, in lieu of adult discourse, should be below you but sadly it has become all too predictable. I still have hope but come on.... And a word of advice, you may want to think through your next ad hominem characterization of me before hitting the ‘post comment’ icon. In the past you have accused me of being a ‘woman’ and a ‘liberal’ , as if these terms are somehow pejorative and derogatory. All this line of attack provided IMHO was an insight into your interesting world view. Now you are using my avatar photo of Kim Jong-il , a ‘male’ and a ‘nationalistic dictator’ as a clumsy analogy to suggest what? That I am the exact opposite?? Dear god man, you need to get a hold of your slurs and insults – pick one end of the spectrum and stick with it, please. You are really all over the map. Am I an evil dictatorial dude or a liberal woman? What is it? Or perhaps you see liberal women as threatening evil dictators?? Is that it ;-) The cognitive dissonance created by your range of insults, much like your surprisingly thin seemingly ad hoc justification for posting this video (yes, it was all about the children and their safety – apologies for missing the intended subtext) will be keeping me up tonight. But I will get over it. And yes, I accept your apology. We are all good. Looking forward to your next video.

Thou hyperbolize too much. And you are missing, perhaps deliberately, the bigger picture – if your goal is to warn about accidental / unnecessary deaths.

First, where was the child in the video? Not a very good object lesson to draw from this video if one is to trust your motivations / claims as to why you posted this vid. The victim here is an adult woman.

Anyway, back to kids, ‘an examination of media reports about the 700 child vehicular heatstroke deaths for a 19-year period (1998 through October 2016) shows the following circumstances:

Let’s just go with the 4 children who are killed by gunfire, murdered, every DAY in the US.

1,460 children and teens die by guns every year in the US. Now that is MANY children. That is an epidemic.

If you want to have a real discussion on how to protect children – lets start with the senseless gun violence that plagues the US. And not some sadly routine story about a woman being carjacked by a man with a gun. FYI, this is not a problem that we have to any real degree where I live. We have sensible gun posession and registration laws.

Thank you for this timely and very VERY useful public service announcement. This essential information that will be of great use to the ‘10 to 20 people, including kidnapped adults in the US, who die trapped in a car trunk’ Granted this was a 2012 story so perhaps the numbers have skyrocketed to 40-50 by now?

Is this really such an epidemic in the US? I had no idea getting stuffed in the boot of one’s car was such a real and persistent threat in the US. And you know the only thing that stops a bad boot stuffer with a gun is a good driver with a gun. So my tale away is that one really needs more guns to avoid such a frequently occurring situation in the US.
Drive armed or dont drive at all ....

With all due respect - how and or why was this video posted? This is a run of the mill local American news crime story. Tragic, yes, she wasn't harmed, good but Snotr material? Really? Mods, is there nothing more appealing or interesting or Snotr appropriate in the bin?

Wow. A platform full of nitwits. The snow on the tracks has to go somehere and that will most likely be off to the sides... Du'oh.
On the other hand the train engineers driving the train (does one drive a train?) must have had a very good laugh.
'Speed up i see one next to the tracks videoing this ;-) '

>#15 You're not going to change his opinions and he's not going to change yours. You've both made up your minds.

I think the difference between Sux2bu et al and me is that while I do have strong opinions I am very willing, if not happy to revisit and explore the premises / basis for those opinions and change them or modify them as need be – should a convincing argument or evidence or rationalization be provided. I really don’t have any immediate access to Trump voters (much like you) and I am incredibly curious as to how and why they both form and support their staunchly held worldviews – especially in the face of clear empirical counter evidence. I love the opportunity that Snotr offers to engage with this demographic. And I come from a background and training of critical thought and inquiry, one that views a theory or position only as strong as the evidence that support it and that every position and all positionality should be able to withstand scrutiny and inquiry – hence the efforts at critical discourse and a dialogic approach. What astonishes me about Sux et al is their willingness to discard wholesale facts, empirically verified and evidence which counters their narratives and as such positions as presented by one set of media all while uncritically embracing ‘alternative facts’ and narratives put out by another set of media which has a very clear and transparent ideological position and goal and mission statement. The latter of which really does engage in bald face lies and distorting of (again) empirically provable statements, evidence etc. – right down to citing peoples own past statements and actions. ‘I never said /did that.’ Yes, you did – here is the video / transcript. ‘Ok fine that is fake I never said / did that’.

>You think he's a racist bigot and he thinks you're a leftist cuck.

Yes, he is a bigot by virtue of this words and statements etc. ‘Leftist cuck’ is just a derogatory slur that is used when you don’t have a sustainable position. I try to address his potions and ideas, Sux et al either attack me as a person or a messenger or they simply change topics. This comparison, IMHO in unfair and I think one of the reasons why this alt-right discourse has been successful. It is really a false and harmful equivalency and I feel should be challenged and exposed for what it is.
>They grow in strength and power because the left has no satisfying solutions to the current problems.
I certainly agree with you on this but I do think one needs to reflect on how much our current institutions, be it political and economic, stymie and block any solutions because of the political and economic costs that it would impose on societies and governments. The left solutions never stand a chance of being implemented thus the left looks complicit in this.

>You can't make them go away by calling them intolerant.

In no way to I want to make them go away or silence them – on the contrary I like the American ideal of free speech, assembly and press. I think such discussions, even if they get sharp, are important. I am simply asking them to reflect on their views of intolerance and bigotry and suspicion and IMHO the fear and instability it creates, to examine why they hold such beliefs, to defend them in the face of counter arguments, facts and reality. If you genuinely hold a position and believe it in then one should be able to sustain it in the face of a counter pressure / position. Sux etc. al are the ones who shut down, run away, and resort to assailing the messenger and not the message. Presenting evidence, calling someone out, and asking for someone to support a position, action or belief is the result of critical thinking. The hope is they will respond in kind. Sadly it is open a one-way dialogue but I remain hopeful.

You are aware that by posting inherently political videos such as the Muslim benefits cheat or CNN fake news that Sux2bu has taken a political and ideological position and by virtue of the comments section he is inviting, if not asking for a response, aren’t you? The rant has actually started with Sux2bu and I am simply using the comments section to try and engage with him and others. I always assumed that is why Snotr has a comments section and not just a thumbs up and down icon. Sux2bu is inviting a reply and / or a reaction and I am simply taking him up on his offer.

I find it quite sad and perhaps reflective of where we are now as a society that your instinct, when presented with issues of intolerance, bigotry, racism etc etc as expressed in the words and actions of a major political actor and country, and having a chance to engage with a supporter of such beliefs that your response is to put your head down and move on. It is precisely IMHO this kind of timidity and inaction refusal to call people out who expose such positionality that has enabled these alt right movements and actors to grow in strength and power. A non-response is unfortunately often viewed as tacit tolerance and / or even acceptance or at a minimum it only serves to encourage more of the same. Europe and America find its societies and political institution the grips of these types because of passivity and a lack of critical thinking and awareness. Trumps successfully labelled himself a ‘blue collar billionaire’, an obscene joke in itself give his life of privilege, and conned the lower classes that he was actually looking out for their interests when EVERYTHING he has proposed policy wise, healthcare reform and tax reform, hurts this demographic. And yet they stick with this man for now. It is stunning and due to a lack of critical thought IMHO. So, yes, I reply to inherently political videos with political discussions.

12. snotraddict ‘Nice broad sweep of my values and viewpoints but I do proudly lean to the right’

Sigh. A) You were the first one to post something which was affirmative and you didn’t take any steps to distance yourself from the vid’s basic predicate – ergo you accept and most likely share these beliefs – so your ‘nice broad sweep’ protest is really just empty whining and then b) you continue with the conjunction ‘but’ which is normally used to signal a counter point / information but you use it to oddly indicate support for the view that you softly eschewed in your followup in the previous clause! Talk about clumsy incoherence – you are just like Sux2bu. When called out you flee like a mouse in the kitchen when the light is turned on. Sack up and own your positions.

And secondly ‘Obama working with Putin’

Obama working with Putin (or his appointed official) as the elected President is part of statecraft. This is how diplomacy works and deals on say nuclear proliferation get done. The alt right loves to show this and suggest it is somehow equivalent to the treasonous collusion that Trump et al engaged in with Russia and its FSB cyber units. This is so mind numbingly stupid it hurts. Presidents and Secretaries of State, republican and democrat, all engage in behind the scenes negotiations, done out of the spotlight, to get deals done. Depoliticizing things and moving out of the glare of elections and cameras etc etc is essential to statecraft – always has been.

To draw a specious comparison between a duly elected president, one who is authorized to speak on the behalf of the US, and a presidential candidate who has NO authority and is (I believe) banned by law from acting as a diplomatic agent for the US is just lazy and stupid. But by all means please continue to make the argument.

Finally, ‘perhaps Putin's influence in the election’. Perhaps? 17 different American military and civilian spy and defence agencies all concluded that the cyber-attacks, came from the highest levels of the Kremlin and because nothing happens in Russia without Putin’s say so – from Putin himself.

Deny all you want but this is about as well established and confirmed as any finding can be. But go on and blame the media.

FYI if you want more info on Putin's role I suggest you read this book by Malcomb Nance. The Plot to Hack America: How Putin's Cyberspies and WikiLeaks Tried to Steal the 2016 Election. Skyhorse Publishing. 2016.

He is retired US Navy counter intel / counter terrorism / cyber warfare expert and an authority on such matters. Fascinating read. And no squishy liberal. His career was spent hunting and killing 'bad dudes' as Trump would say.

Oh, Sux2bu, why am I not surprised by the obvious pivot to another topic, any other topic, then the failures and incompetence of your current president? The events leading up to financial crisis and where blame lies is an interesting topic but alas it is a clumsy diversion from the topic that you initiated by virtue of your video. Fake news and media’s refusal to report on all of the bigly success that your president has achieved this far. Sorry to not take the bait and drag you back to the topic at hand but I have to imagine that the average American, as Trump put it, is getting tired of all the winning that he has had thus far. I would be. His achievements in the 1st 100 days are exhausting. But don’t take it from me, take it from Andrew Sullivan – a conservative intellectual.

‘Every day, the incoherence deepens: He’s going to cover “everyone,” but he’s going to push 24 million people off their health insurance. He’s going to wipe out the debt, but his tax cuts and spending spree will add trillions to it. He’s never going to intervene in Syria, but he just did. He’s going to get Mexico to pay for a big, beautiful wall, but he isn’t. China is a currency manipulator, but it isn’t. The media is the enemy of the people, but he is on the phone with them every five minutes and can’t stop watching CNN and reading the New York Times. He’s going to be a tightwad with taxpayers’ money, unlike Obama, but his personal travel expenses are on track to be eight times more than his predecessor’s. He’s going to work relentlessly for the American people but he spends half his days watching cable news. We’ve got to be “very, very tough” in foreign affairs, but when he sees dead babies on TV, he immediately calls General Mattis and lobs 59 Tomahawk missiles. He has a secret plan to defeat ISIS, but pursues Obama’s strategy instead. He is for the “forgotten men and women” of America, but his tax plan — which is itself changing all the time — benefits the superrich and depends on removing health insurance for the working poor. He wants to be friends with Russia, but he doesn’t. He’s going to challenge China’s policy on Taiwan, but he isn’t. He is against crony capitalism, but he is for it. He’s going to keep the focus on America, but just upped the ante in Yemen and Afghanistan. He’s a deal-maker, but he cannot make deals even with his own party. He’s a great manager, but his White House is consumed with in-fighting and he cannot staff his own administration. He’s a populist who stacks his cabinet with Goldman Sachs alums. He’s going to pressure China to take on North Korea, but “after listening for ten minutes” to China’s dictator, he changes his mind.’

God have mercy on all of us. Your president is an incompetent shallow nitwit who has no idea what he is doing and that scares the sh*t out of the rest of us.

BTW, did you even try to read the interview or was that simply too suspicious and fake and thus not worth your time? Reading is time consuming of course and doesnt have the same immediate viceral feel good belief confirming thrill (for you) as a Fox news report. You know the kind that Fox & Friends routinely delivers.

>Trump has done more to spur business growth and attract foreign investors in the last six months than BO's policies did in eight years.

Sigh. He has been in office 99 days. That is hardly 6 months. More like 3 and change. So you start off with a Trumpian exaggeration. And Obama started out by inheriting the worst recession since the great depression thanks to W and his failed policies. Again another pesky fact. Obama started out deep in the hole and had to restore the US economy and world confidence and for that he did an admirable job.

And secondly any job growth and economic gains are a result of Obama policies and the momentum they have carried forward. This is just a fact. Growth and jobs and investments all take time to implement and Trump hasn’t been in office long enough. Much like Trump trumpeting the first jobs report. FALSE. LAME. He had no impact or influence on it. Those numbers were also in the pipeline.

What he has done? Aside from signing executive orders, a number of which like steel dumping tariffs are absolutely for show and have zero impact, he has accomplished very very little. Using Trump’s own stated benchmark of 100 days – he is historically the most unpopular and least accomplished US president EVER. Quite a feat given that his party has controlling majorities in the US govt.

But polls are not to be trusted. Yet in media appearance after appearance Trump has demonstrated rank ignorance, indifference, and a total lack of interest in policies and facts and issues related to governance at both the national and international levels. Stunning friends and allies with abrupt incoherence and the intellectual and emotional maturity and attention span of a child. But again, this is all just negative portrayal in the corrupt press / media. Unfair!

Perhaps we should allow Trump to present himself and his ideas and intellectual acuity in his own words. Nothing fake about this. Allow me to present an interview that Trump gave to the AP a week ago. This is a verbatim transcript. It is a bit long but well worth the read. The incoherence is shocking – and remember this is Trump in his own words. The man is manifestly unqualified and mentally unfit for the job.

Unfortunately, call it ‘satire’ or ‘shitire’ JJ you have missed the point here. For people like snotraddict, fjwjr, sux2bu et al – this is not satirical in the slightest. This is almost certainly a world view and opinion that they hold. The belief that the main stream American media is disingenuous as best and that ANY coverage of Trump that is less than favourable or charitable is somehow a lie. Look at the title ‘Video Parodying CNN’s Fake New - sux2bu isn’t even attempting to disguise or hide his positionality unlike the Muslim benefits cheat vid that he posted a while back. And that is fine. In fact I can appreciate his transparency. But one should not be lulled into complacency, for sux2bu et al it is a truth wrapped in a lamely satirical shell which allows the propagation and the distancing (note the ‘there’s always an element of truth in it’ line) from the actual intention behind posting this vid. And that is making the charge that the main stream media, especially as it pertains to Trump, is not to be trusted. And more importantly, coursing throughout this video, via the mocking tone and deliberately clumsy acting, is the other premise that those who don’t accept this belief are either stupid, ignorant or not worthy of participation in discourse or society.

Sadly, this is just another iteration of the many insidious and dangerous messages whipped up by the alt right that have served to undermined American governance and permit a manifestly unqualified and dangerous person to become the president of the most powerful country on earth.

Yes, Sux2bu this is absolutely HILLARIOUS satire and certainly not disingenuous pro Trump propaganda and messaging. The only element of truth as you call it is how successful the right wing and the alt-right has been in undermining the public confidence in the media – all media, except of course Fox news and Beightbart and Alex Jones etc etc, at the considerable detriment of America society and political discourse. Fake news, ‘alternative facts’, wholesale bald faced lies that are repeated and reinforced despite clear empirical evidence to the contrary, the denial of reality in some cases – you honestly think this has been a good thing for your country? I find it disappointing that Snotr’s mods continue to allow such blatant and inane pro Trump alt right propaganda to be posted but any clips critical of Trump never seem to make it. Does cable news on occasion sensationalize trivial stories to draw in viewers – yes. But is this grounds to argue that a news outlet like CNN is completely delegitimate? Of course not. Any news organization needs to be held accountable and have proper sourcing for stories and reports. The greatest propagator in the past 2 decades of ideological slanted news has been your favourite Fox news. And many would argue it has been at the expense of reasoned political discourse and American civil society. And of course, you are now suffering the consequences – the election of an utterly unqualified intellectually incurious narcissistic pathological liar and grotesque embarrassment as your president.

#1. Yes. More likely he was at least known to the gang or, more likely, the advance scout and or lookout. It is easy to remain unimpressed when your mates are robbing people and you know you will be left alone.

Ahhh… a moderately? experienced at best longboard rider on a hill, on a paved road, no helmet, no pads, exposed skin, oncoming traffic… The Darwin Awards committee was just cheated out of a good entry.

#41. thefox LOL Nice little self-fulfilling prediction ‘I'll let you have the last word now. Something tells me that is of the utmost importance to you’

If you mischaracterize a statement of mine or throw out more uninformed ‘fact’s’ to reinforce unsupported gross mischaracterizations and stereotypes then yes, it will engender a response. This has nothing to with getting in the last word. If you didn’t post so many questionable words and statements there would be no need to respond. But you did hence a response.

>You either have an in depth knowledge of the subject, or you don't,

What kind of binary world do you live in? One can be well read and informed but not feel that he or she has in depth knowledge. It is what motivates academics and intellectuals and thinking people – to always learn and be exposed to new ideas, information and perspectives.

>I haven't counted them, if that's what you mean, but read the newspapers and watch the TV, you'll get the idea.

I guessed those were your sources, given your biases, the media that any one individual consumes is a terrible and inherently flawed metric to use when trying to gauge both frequency of occurrence and statistical significance with respect to population size. The media is limited by time, word count, questions of accuracy, what events they decide to cover and what events they don’t, ideological motivations etc etc . Just look at American fox news. They drive a brilliant propaganda campaign that has determined the outcome of elections – facts and truth be dammed.

>Yes Islam is scary, because I don't recall any groups of radical Jews or evangelical Christians carrying out random attacks on the public, bombings, beheadings, setting fire to people, killing cartoonists, executing apostates or throwing gays off tall buildings recently . Do you?

Ah yes. Your memory is selective. Jews, look at Irgun and the violence leading up to the state of Israel and west bank settlers who commit mass murder and violence in the name of Zionism. Christians. You have forgotten about the troubles’ in Northern Ireland. Murder, torture and executions galore. The Fundamentalists who kill abortion providing doctors in the US and blow up clinics and firebomb them This includes attacking reporters and the press who report things they don’t care for. So there is lots of violence and death that you have chosen to ignore.

> " There are hundreds of millions of Muslims who simply want to lead a healthy productive life, raise a family, and be good citizens and live with and amongst people of other faiths. "Of course NO empirical evidence is given to support this ludicrous claim. Nor could you ever find any reliable data.

Oh you are so clever. Throwing my words at me. And ignoring common sense and logic Sigh. 1.1 billion Muslims in the world. How many of them are terrorists? Basic logic would dictate that yes, are hundreds of millions of Muslims who are peaceful and simply wish to get on with life. I don’t need to prove a negative – you made the claim therefore the burden is on you.

> "Christians, Jews, Hindus have produced followers who didn’t fear death and committed atrocities in the name of God. " In the far distant past, yes. But this is the 21st Century,

So the 20th century is the far distant past? see above examples and look at India for Hindus slaughtering Muslims all throughout the century BTW.

You clearly don’t have an in depth knowledge of the (on going) history of religious violence – I would suggest you read a book or two. And sadly your bigotry is rooted in what appears to be selective and wilful ignorance. But don’t let that stop you, not that it ever has.

>although I, like yourself, am certainly no expert on Islam, so my advice to you if you want to learn more, is to get a good book on the subject and study it.

a) Please don’t presume to know my knowledge about Islam. I am not the one proclaiming fear and the suggestion that ‘the world would be a better place without Islam’. You are. I would hope that such a position would be grounded in knowledge and substantive contemplation. So far you haven’t demonstrated anything but the recitation of unsupported claims and hysteria.

b) Suggesting that I get a book and study is both amusing and irrelevant. I do read widely and never assume to know everything about anything. And unlike you I try to avoid making gross stereotypes and characterizations.

>Islam is so dangerous, is the rock-solid, fanatical belief many of its followers have in the centuries old words written in the Quran.

'The fanatical beliefs of many of its followers'. Of course NO empirical evidence is given to support this ludicrous claim. Nor could you ever find any reliable data.

> its followers have in the centuries old words written in the Quran.

So you presumably have the exact same concerns with Jews who view the Torah and its teaching as the indisputable word of god or all of the Evangelical Christians who hold the bible as the true and immutable word of god? Of course not. But Islam is scary….

>Infidels such as you and I, are despised and hated, and many see it as their mission in life to rid the planet of them and many see it as their mission in life to rid the planet of them.

Again a grotesque characterization and stereotype based in nothing empirical but your own bigoted fears. There are hundreds of millions of Muslims who simply want to lead a healthy productive life, raise a family, and be good citizens and live with and amongst people of other faiths.

> As has been witnessed many times, the followers of Allah do not fear death in the execution of this duty, and in fact even embrace it.

Yes, no argument there, but this is the hallmark of a religious zealot and it is certainly not just a Muslim phenomenon. Christians, Jews, Hindus have produced followers who didn’t fear death and committed atrocities in the name of God. This is the danger of zealots and IMHO orthodoxical teachings / leaders that seeks to privilege one God over another. The Bible does this by the way. Just like the Qur’an. And yes, I have read both and am equally critical of both.

So basically your fears and bigotry and stance re Islam stems from gross overgeneralizations and media fed stereotypes. And your desire to privilege one religion that you may be more familiar with over another. And peoples as well – you have also expressed an anti-immigrant bias as well in past posts. You really are the prototypical Brexiteer aren’t you.

Ok fox, perhaps you have the courage and insight and words that Sux and snotraddict seem to be lacking.

They talk the anti-Islam talk but when pressed don’t seem to be able to articulate why. How about you?
Please indulge us. Why would the world be a better place without Islam specifically? Perhaps you can answer a question I posed earlier. What are say the top 5 the main points of Islam and Sharia law that are so incompatible and / or threatening to Western and American democracy and society and a concern to you??

# 30. snotraddict '[Muslims] overwhelmingly believe in many of the main points of Islam and Sharia law'

This is an often repeated fact (and I am not disagreeing with it) and it is used as both a tool and a argument by anti-Muslims to justifiy thier concersn, fears and prejudice.

Snotraddict - I would be grateful if you could tell us what these 'main points of Islam and Sharia law' are.

You know you dont like them - so what are they? Just a simple question. What are we talking about?? This is an honest question. What are say the top 5 the main points of Islam and Sharia law that are so incompatable and / or threatenting to Western and American democracy and society and a concern to you??

Your world view, ideological positioning and prejudices are well known given your video submissions, posts and comments over the years. Yet you expect us to believe that anti-Muslim bias played no role in your posting of this video, that her religion was purely coincidental and that your only point was to highlight her criminal activity and use of profanity??. So the backlash you have received is unfair and in fact you yourself are a victim? Nice! So your defence is that you, an openly vocal Trump supporter, posted this video innocent of any bias and had NO idea of the hateful stereotype contained within? Ok then – clearly you didn’t think through what you were posting or you couldn’t be bothered to consider the ramifications. That makes you either not terribly bright or lazy but certainly not a victim.

I’d say the worst part of your feeble defence is your effort to scurry away and spin and deny the blowback you created. Stand by your principles man. Sack up and own the message and the anti-Muslin sentiments that you are propagating. Nothing is worse than a cowardly bigot but then again, in my experiences, most bigots and racists, when pressed are nothing but insecure cowards.

#20. Judge-Jake OK. Lets explore the threads that you provided in your comments.

I think it is quite celar that Sux posted this video to be inflammatory and as part of his own anti-Muslim beliefs. No one is arguing that this woman is not a criminal and should be persecuted if she is guilty.

In 2016, there were 3.3 million Muslims living in the United States, about 1% of the total U.S. population. 1%. So if Sux’s point was to express anger against benefits cheats then why did he select this person? She is hardly a fair representative of the cheating subset. 20-25% of the American public receives public assistance. Of those the % that are Muslim, assuming a standard distribution of argument’s sake would be very very small. But the video vigilante fond this one and Sux posted it. Why? Because the outrage is not the issue – elevating the Muslim aspect of her identity is. And that is bigoted and harmful.

> Like it or like it not the world is losing patience with Islam

And how did that come about? Oh wait, the US destabilized an entire region and created the conditions whereby Al Qaeda begat ISIS and a ton of new followers and an ability to develop affiliates around the world. The Americans had every right post 9/11 to go into Afghanistan IMHO. But they took it to Iraq and have created the situation that we all now face. That and global economic policies and corrupt gov’t in many Muslim majority nations which have kept people in poverty and oppressed (with US and European help) and you have the perfect conditions for a global jihad outbreak. This is not to excuse or condone violence but it does have an origin story that is over overlooked. And to resolve it will require more than bombs and drone stikes and occuypying forces.

>when some misguided murderer has blown himself up in the name of Islam taking with him or her a group of innocent people, children, women occasionally including some from the Muslim religion, the Muslim population have been slow to condone the act.

Fully agree with you here. But as you also write, this is starting to change in UK as Muslim communities are starting to speak up. Too late, yes, late is better than never and this must be supported and encouraged. Any counter terror person will tell you the best intel comes from within these insular communities. Community members often know who is becoming radicalized and a good relationship with law enforcement is vital. Muslim community members need to feel safe reporting people and a campaign, like Sux’s, to smear and vilify all Muslims, does not help anyone.

#17. Urmensch - your comments are dead on re Sux's history, his expressed beliefs towards Muslims & Islam (he is a bigot and an Islamophobe as others have pointed out and he has certainly expressed racially tinged ideas and comments but I won’t go so far as to call him a racist - yet), and quite frankly (and sadly) the worst kind of internet troll. One who wants to exploit cultural, religious and racial differences to encourage fear and further divisions – all under the specious rubric of ‘safety’ and ‘cultural incompatibility’ and ‘protecting ‘our’ – see white Anglo Christian – way of life.

I don’t know why this vid was allowed on Sntor. It is clearly meant to be inflammatory. And it is the perfect vid. A woman who is engaging in a criminal act, using the dole for purposes of self-enrichment, and who happen to be a Muslim – which we can guess from her clothes. The perfect outrage trigger. Look she is cheating the govt and should be prosecuted. No one was asked why this ‘lawyer’ decided to follow her and investigate. Not his job or right but the right in America loves these kinds of video vigilantes. How many people did he harass and violate rights until he found this actual crim? And then the US govt doesn’t keep stats on govt assistance and religion (race yes and (2013 survey) 40.2 percent are white, 25.7 percent are black, 10.3 percent are Hispanic, 2.1 percent are Asian and 1.2 percent are Native American) the American right hates this stat – whites always are the biggest proportion) but with respect to religion a quick google search showed the top links all point to AG jeff Sessions and a host of anti Muslim website proclaiming unsubstantiated / made up numbers like 80-90% of all Muslim families get gov’t assistance. If the US gov’t is forbidden from compiling stats re religion and assistance how does the right come up with such claims?? Easy – they make them up. But Sux’s doesn’t question numbers that support his prejudicial beliefs. Just like his love for Trump – no demonstrably false Trump claim was ever disbelieved by him

Anyway – this is a trolling vid of the worst kind IMHO. Pick one bad citizen, who happen to appear to be a Muslim and then generalize across all. And foment outrage. Thanks Sux. You have lived up to your name with this submission.

I wish Snotr wouldn’t post videos that mock people with clear drug and alcohol abuse problems. I don’t find this funny or amusing in the slightest. This situation regardless of the country is tragic and sad. This man is someone’s son or brother or father … I think people forget that all for the sake of selfish amusement. This guy is most likely at the end stages of his addiction and will die, of either an overdose, death by exposure, or of organ failure – almost certainly alone. And that is just sad. I wish we’d reflect on how this man ended up like this and the failure of friends, family, community or even govt social wellfare programs that permit people with such open and public addictions to progress to this stage and not just laugh and post it online for laughs. Yes. some addictions are simply too strong and people can resist / deny help - fully understand that. But singling out this man for comment via a Snotr is crass, disheartening and I hope it doesn’t happen again.

# 1. Thunders. JJ wasn’t wrong in his disapproval of dog licking for children, infants in particular, and I don’t know why he was slammed with so many down votes. A paediatrician will tell you that a dog (and cats) saliva can and will contain faeces due to grooming habits (amongst other potentially human harmful bacteria or parasites ) and that happy face licks should in fact be avoided. Especially as young children are building immune systems. This also holds for adults with compromised immune systems. This is routine practical new parent advice but somehow JJ took it on the chin.

No one has said pets and kids shouldn’t interact and play and be best friends. But common sense and paediatricians will strongly advise against encouraging contact with pet saliva.

Oh no Sux2bu… I was really hoping that you had been able to move on from your regressive tendencies but apparently not. I imagine that you don’t even realize that once your argument moves from the merits and just to assailing the source and the imagined political bias of the authors to try and delegitimize an argument – you have lost. It is the desperate last move of someone who is flailing about in an argument and who has probably grown tired of repeated spankings. Ur butt has got to hurt at this point so … this was probably to be expected.

Look, you press ahead with your claims ignoring the broader context and the last 2 weeks in which Trump has managed to upset a great number of world leaders and markets. The thesis of the ‘left wing liberal piece’ would be considered a reasonable reaction / opinion in almost any other time in US history. Trump is chaotic, unpredictable, insulting people and threatening trade treaties and proposing tariffs off the cuff. And then walking them back, Who in their right f-ing mind would really invest right now. Talk is not action.

As for your article. Details matter yet again.

Japan is INVESTING ($150 billion) in public and private funds over 10 years. So they will own key parts of America infrastructure. That cant sit well with your America first tendencies and Japan can and will dictate terms. And jobs projections are always far too rosey.

Then look at what they want to invest in. > ‘That would include helping develop high-speed railways in the northeastern United States, and the states of Texas and California, and renovating subway and train cars.

LOL. America and the Republicans HATE high speed rail and fight against it. Infrastructure investment is only good for oil, gas and manufacturing – not people. That is what cars are for. The US auto industry sees to that via protectionism. Trump will throw a tantrum or dictate terms and the promised money will never emerge.

yes, short term some jobs will be created and that is good but when the project is over jobs disappear and the profits go back to Japan.

>The package also includes cooperation in global infrastructure investment, joint development of robots and artificial intelligence, and cooperation in cybersecurity and space exploration, among others.

Space explorations? Again the GOP hates HATES Nasa and wants to kill it not fund it further. Robots? Those take American jobs. See Carrier’s plans. Cyber security? Trump will probably ignore that – the man doesn’t even understand THE cyber or use a computer.

You know who also does US investment? China. I suspect Ji-nah is on your bad unfair foreign actor list . Why is Japanese investment any different? Their money comes with the same strings.

Anyway – I will leave you to hiss and growl at me. And look at the world through some very rosey coloured reality distorting glasses. You seem to forget (ok deliberately deny / head in the sand) that Trump’s words and actions are not without consequence. You may not see it now but it is there. The impact of his lunacy to date is just starting to be felt. Cant wait to see what the weeks and months ahead will bring. Hey, he just had his advisor threaten Iran with military action. That is a good stabilizing move!! International markets and investors will love that.

And here is an update on that optimism ''Companies and businesses are very optimistic about the changes in the business climate because of Trump and his promise to cut regulations that make running businesses so expensive ." you were talking about that I pushed back against.

By Nancy Cook and Josh Dawsey 02/03/17 05:05 AM EST

'Businesses grow concerned about Trump after early excitement'

The new White House’s sudden moves have left many firms fearful of engaging with the new administration.

Many businesses are quickly morphing from excited partners of a new White House to wary bystanders, trying to guard against damage from a new president.

The change of tune, just two weeks into the Trump administration, has a wide range of lobbyists, trade associations and CEOs on the defensive from early moves such as the executive order limiting immigration or a proposed border tax, according to interviews with more than a dozen business lobbyists and leaders, who mostly declined to be identified due to concerns about blowback. These early moves have worried and galvanized companies as diverse as Apple, Walmart, Amazon, Expedia, Uber, Target and LVMH.

It’s an inauspicious start for the CEO-turned-politician, who cast himself as the most corporate-friendly president since Ronald Reagan and kicked off his first days in office with a handful of meetings and photo-ops with CEOs and union officials, all of which emphasized keeping jobs in America. That’s a theme he is expected to hit in the coming days, including at a meeting with CEOs on Friday.

The Trump team’s initial stabs at policy like the border tax, elimination of regulations and executive orders are creating confusion and discord among many businesses.

With the travel ban hitting immigrants, “companies are torn between media and employee pressure to speak out and a desire to have a seat at the table with the administration,” said Stewart Verdery, a lobbyist at Monument Policy Group whose clients include technology and travel companies.

The other major concern for businesses is the lack of insight into Trump’s policy agenda, which was not flushed out during the election. No one knows which of the regulations the Trump administration plans to roll back — though Trump himself promised to roll back 75 percent of them.

"My people meet with him, and they come away reassured,” said a top business official in New York. “And then he goes off and says something. It's the volatility that worries everyone.”

It is also not clear whether Trump will ultimately support any of the existing Republican policy blueprints like the one from House Speaker Paul Ryan. “You could have a situation where there’s agreement to get something passed, but then the president decides, ‘I don’t like this,’ and it could blow up months or years of work,” said one lobbyist. “That never would have happened with Obama or Bush. That is a big worry.”

Trump has vowed to cut the corporate tax rate from 35 percent to 15 percent — but recently said it could be more like "15 to 20 percent." Several lobbyists and people close to the administration said they had no specific plan how to do that yet, and that it could prove impossible.

Trump's talk on a border-adjustment tax has also scared companies, Lott says, and his recent announcement that they would have to buy certain materials in the United States for a pipeline rattled business leaders. It's atypical for Republicans to tell businesses what decisions to make, lobbyists and business leaders say. “But I think people would be happy even if he got it to 20 or 25 percent,” he said of the corporate tax rate.

>Jobs saved are still paychecks for the men and women who work there and a plus for the local economy.

Indeed, and I completely agree. Mass unemployment is a very destructive force and can damage the social and economic fabric of a community. But that is not the argument. We agree on this. What we disagree about (and you dodge yet again) is the utility, sustainability and quite frankly the veracity of Trump’s impulsive base approach to threaten and bully American companies and to concoct and his fundamentally untenable ‘solutions’ to the challenges faced by American manufacturing in the global economy. Well I do try and engage you but you continue to obfuscate away from this reality with a new link to another topic. His approach is marcoeconomically disasterous, it is ad hoc and dangeously impulsive and incoherent.

I honestly respect your instinctive? reaction to support the Carrier workers. I do. The cold calculus is the jobs saved and short term boost to the local economy comes at an unsustainable cost and if you could step back for a minute and look at the objective macroeconomic facts and reality of what Trump has done and apparently proposes then you would realize that there is nothing sustainable at all about his approach or solution. trump feels good but like heroin isnt isnt a long term solution to American workers problems. Period. And the US manufacturing base needs a comprehensive sustainable plan and not a jingoistic, impulsive, short term feel good, PR stunt. And that is what Trump pulled off with the Carrier deal. I suspect you are just realizing that once you read that the 16 million of promised investment is NOT going to create more jobs or worker security but in fact secure Carrier profitability going forward. The shareholders will be rewarded with this deal, the workers not so much (long term) and that should upset a patriot such as yourself. Trump is not nor never has been a supporter of the working man, in fact he has a long history of screwing over many many small businessmen and contractors who have worked for him. That is just an empirical and legal fact.

The Carrier PR stunt is emblematic of Trump’s entire approach. Ugly bombastic and divisive rhetoric and threats and promises that look and feel good but have zero substance or actual longevity. He is a confidence man extraordinaire that appeals to the basest tribal instincts of people and doesn’t encourage them to think critically (or look behind the curtain) with respect to his proposals. His approach is to divide and polarize and he is remarkably good at this.

>Companies and businesses are very optimistic about the changes in the business climate because of Trump and his promise to cut regulations that make running businesses so expensive etc etc look at the # of the number of companies looking to do business in America now.

Yes, I would like to see that list updated after his tweet threats to impose irrational tariffs on basically everyone when his mood is bad or his feelings hurt or he doesn’t get the adulation he feels he is deserved, or after the well thought out Muslim ban, or after the disastrously immature and frightenly self-obsessed and uninformed phone calls with leaders Australia, Mexico etc etc. Trump is an international laughingstock and no serious business leader will really invest in this climate. All will wait and see to what he does / threatens / bans / attacks next. I would love to see an honest poll of global economic confidence in Trump - I suspect no real CEO views him with anything but shock and embarrasment.

Argument: What you don't seem to understand about the Carrier deal is that Carrier has agreed to invest $16 million in its Indianapolis plant as evidence of the company's commitment to "stay and grow" in Indiana.

Right. And if you follow up on that promised investment, you will find this little twist. Not quite the deal it appears to be with respect to job creation.

“The deal also calls for a $16 million investment in the Indianapolis facility. Most of that money will be invested in automation said Greg Hayes, CEO of United Technologies, Carrier's corporate parent. And that automation will replace some of the jobs that were saved”

As for the numbers that you presented. They look good; no argument there, but again this is not a sustainable or realistic long-term macroeconomic policy. The reality is that Trump used a combination of bribes and threats to save a few Carrier workers’ jobs and still only some of them at a high unsustainable cost.

Incentives like the ones Indiana offered simply are not a practical strategy for preserving or creating a meaningful number of jobs in a country of 300 million people.

Or as Paul Krugman, an actual Nobel Prize willing economist tweeted ‘If Trump did a Carrier-style deal every week for the next 4 years, he could bring back 4% of the manufacturing jobs lost since 2000’.

This is a PR stunt at best and not something that any credible economist would hang his or her hat on. Furthermore, many experts argue that it sets a troubling precedent. There is little, after all, to stop other companies from threatening to move jobs to win similar concessions. And such deals offer ample opportunity for corruption and abuse as politicians decide which companies deserve help and which jobs deserve saving

# 22. snotraddict I may respectfully disagree with some of your opinions and arguments but I would like to emphasise respectfully – you have articulated some clear positions without utilizing hyperbole, spin, disinformation, gas lighting or other disingenuous practices and this was both refreshing and much appreciated. Thanks! I really wish this could be the norm when trying to discuss something as chaotic as the new Trump administration and its executive orders and emergent policies but sadly anything about Trump appears to be as polarizing as the man himself.
Completely agree re the notions of a ‘mandate’ in that ‘generally it is a sign, a sign that people want change’ Well said.

Nation state sovereignty and the right / duty to protect borders – again completely agree. This is a very complex topic and one that we are having to reconsider given the refugee crisis and Brexit fallout. It makes many uncomfortable and there is no easy solution like a simplistic impermeable wall – human suffering and a yearning to simply be safe and free from violence (and I would argue our duty as citizens of a modern well off civil society to look after fellow humans in need) will always challenge national borders, barriers, identities and commitments. But that is a complex discussion with no easy solution. And reasonable people will disagree on the notion of responsibilities and solutions.
Trade policies and national economies - again clearly the current global situation is problematic and this also requires substantive thought and revisions. And flexibility not isolation IMHO.

The American H1-B Visa program, you make an excellent argument and it certainly does have merit. It will require changing the way Silicon Valley does business and that will require upsetting very powerful special interests which, I suspect, no political party will dare to do. Both are beholden to this so the status quo will remain in spite of charged rhetoric and promises.

CA vote fraud and shenanigans. We are of different opinions and I respect that. You have not made any bombastic claims which is nice. Plus, it would allow for a transition into the topic of voting rights, Republican only efforts at curtailing voting access, gerrymandering etc. etc. that would be interesting to discuss if we had the time or inclination. Civil discourse allows for the exchange of ideas and disagreements.

>Build the wall, I'll pay a special tax for that. Please. It's not 100% fallible, but it's a tool.

Impressive and honest. I wish others had the same courage to express and honestly agree to pay for such convictions. ‘We will get Mexico to pay for it, trust me’ is such a clear violation of a campaign promise I can’t believe that the right and Trump supprters swallowed this with little protest. That is NOT what he campaigned on.

>If the party in power would be somewhat reasonable, we wouldn't have these major issues, but each party has to be unreasonable when it's in power and step way off the deep end.

Speaking truth to power ;-)

>Be reasonable, please. I hope the Republicans will this time around. I doubt it, but I hope.

Couldn’t agree more and I share the same concerns. Trump’s first 2 weeks give me and quite frankly I suspect many (not all of course) in the world little hope.

12. sux2bu. Your discursive circumlocution and impressive efforts to turn attention away from basic unarguable verified empirical facts is impressive but in the end reality is reality with respect to verified vote totals and no amount of gas lighting will change that.

Back to your original claim. The new President won the electoral votes in a landslide

Main stream media projections are irrelevant. As are low information voters. As for the focus on counties won it is also a disingenuous and irrelevant statistic. You are choosing a metric that serves your argument which may be convenient but it does make the falsity of your claim any less false. The only thing that matters when judging the truthfulness of your statement is the total number of electoral college votes received. Period. Trump won more and the presidency but when objectivity viewed (again pesky facts and number and stats) relative to other elections he simply did not win the electoral college votes in a landslide. He just didn’t. Period. The actual data and numbers don’t lie vis-à-vis basic semantics.

Trump ranks #46. Donald J. Trump (2016) out of 58 in percent of electoral vote won. That is an inarguable fact and simply not a 'landslide'. And he lost the popular vote by 2,864,974 votes. Again a fact.

You seem to share the same stubborn trait as your new President, you cant accept a victory. Trump won and he is the president but it was not a landslide or a mandate (unless you have new semantics for that word as well). Why cant you accept this factual and empirically grounded reality? He also entered the office with a 40 percent approval rating — a historically low number for a president-elect and 1/2 of what Obama had. The lowest of the modern era. Not popular, not with a mandate, yes he defeated Hillary. I happily stipulate to and accept those facts and scary reality.

In terms of your 2nd claim. ‘A new President who is making great progress in starting-up our weak economy and putting people back to work by getting companies that were about to relocate to Mexico to stay here and expand.

Kudos to finding references but again with respect to Carrier details matter - 39% of those jobs (500/1300) are still going to Mexico and Carrier pocketed 7 million. Not a bad deal for Carrier! Again, good PR stunt but unsustainable macroeconomics and note the word ‘committed’ - companies are committed until they aren’t. They are just as adept at playing the PR game as Trump and who can blame them when Trump uses a shame based bully pulpit to threaten them. If I was a CEO I would commit to that as well. Threats and intimidation and policy by tweet (today a 20% Mexican import tariff – oh wait that was an utterly impulsive un thought-out regressive and stupid idea) is no way to run a super power’s economy.

As for the wall ‘in 2006 our Congress voted in favor of building a wall along the border to stop illegal immigration and drug flows.’ Ok. That was never in dispute so how can I have my facts wrong?

What Trump has proposed is building a massive wall on some geographically difficult / impossible terrain, a plan not supported by a SINGLE Texas member of congress, an edifice that could cost $12 billion to $15 billion (CNBC) , do little to improve security, the cost now (surprise!) borne by US tax payers and recouped somehow by threatening Mexico (the 20% Mexican import tariff shows how little Trump really understand of economics and trade and what a poor businessman he is – no CEO supported this idiotic suggestion) and when the Mexican President says ‘get bent’ Trump throws a tantrum with Americas 3rd largest trading partner. Nice! Very Presidential Those are facts and I have them right.

8. sux2bu. I cant tell if you are just trying to be a provocative troll or if you are absolutely delusional.

You are entitled to your opinions with respect to your new President Trump but you are not entitled to presenting empirical falsehoods as truth or facts when these are easily shown to be demonstrably false and/or disingenuous.

1) Claim. Even though the new President won the electoral votes in a landslide

Reality. False. Trump won 56.88 percent of the available electoral votes. It ranks near the bottom, belonging somewhere between the lowest one-fourth and the lowest one-fifth of all Electoral College victories in history. Since the end of World War II, Trump’s percentage of the Electoral College vote is lower than 12 previous results (1948, 1952, 1956, 1964, 1972, 1980, 1984, 1988, 1992, 1996, 2008 and 2012 and ranks in the bottom one-third by this metric. This is an empirical provable fact. You repeating it doesn’t make it true.

2) The new President won the popular vote in 80% of the nations counties.

Reality. Irrelevant and disingenuous. The popular vote is determined and is only meaningful when view as an aggregate total. When properly presented Hillary outpaced President-elect Donald Trump by almost 2.9 million votes, with 65,844,954 (48.2%) to his 62,979,879 (46.1%), according to revised and certified final election results from all 50 states and the District of Columbia. This is a difference of 2,864,974 votes. Hillary trounced Trump in the popular vote. Full stop. US presidents are elected by capturing electors from the Electoral College and Trump skilfully won this race.

3) The US just had an election for a new President who is making great progress in starting-up our weak economy and putting people back to work by getting companies that were about to relocate to Mexico to stay here and expand.

Reality – show me the numbers. This is spin. He hasn’t had any time to make meaningful change having been in office for a few weeks. Trump ‘saved’ 700 of 1400 jobs from Carrier moving to Mexico by having his VP, the Governor of the state of Indiana the company $7 million in tax incentives over a decade. That is not sustainable macroeconomic policy. Trump’s claims re Ford and getting it to change its plans to build new manufacturing facilities in Mexico, and instead build a “massive plant” in Ohio. The problem: Ford says it hasn’t changed its plans at all. A LIE.

Trump may in fact spur job creation but he has not, as you claim, made any great progress. His tantrum re Mexico and the wall did nothing but make him lose face, his current Muslim ban and plan to scale back the H-1B visa program will affect Silicon Valley and the high tech sector. He is actually moving the US in the wrong direction but by all means, watch Fox, live in your bubble and ignore the global impact of your new president’s actions. The current climate is very volatile.

#1. 'About as well as he did in office. ' #2 'spent as much time on it as his golf game'

Indeed. He was a legislative disaster, accomplished very little and clearly did not apply himself. You may not like his policies and decisions but he was a consequential US President who did not faff about. I think he earned a golf game or two.

1. Passed Health Care Reform
After five presidents over the course of a century failed to create universal health insurance, signed the Affordable Care Act in 2010. More than twenty million Americans have gained coverage since the passage of the law
2. Rescued the Economy
Signed the $787 billion American Recovery and Reinvestment Act in 2009 to spur economic growth amid the most severe downturn since the Great Depression. As of October 2016, the economy had added 15.5 million new jobs since early 2010 and set a record with seventy-three straight months of private-sector job growth. The unemployment rate, which hit a sustained peak of about 10 percent in 2009, has dropped to 4.6 percent as of November 2016.
3. Passed Wall Street Reform
4. Negotiated a Deal to Block A Nuclear Iran
5. Secured U.S. Commitment to a Global Agreement on Climate Change
6. Eliminated Osama bin Laden
7. Ended U.S. Combat Missions in Iraq and Afghanistan
8. Turned Around the U.S. Auto Industry
9. Repealed “Don’t Ask, Don’t Tell’’
10. Supported Federal Recognition of Same-Sex Marriages
11. Reversed Bush Torture Policies
12. Established Rules to Limit Carbon Emissions from Power Plants
13. Normalized Relations with Cuba
14. Put Medicare on Sounder Financial Footing
15. Protected DREAMers from Deportation
16. Established Net Neutrality
17. Boosted Fuel Efficiency Standards
18. Diversified the Federal Bureaucracy
19. Passed Fair Sentencing Act
20. Expanded Wilderness and Watershed Protection
21. Gave the FDA the Power to Regulate Tobacco
22. Reduced the Threat from Nuclear Weapons
23. Passed Credit Card Reforms
24. Cut Veteran Homelessness by Half
25. Enacted Government Surveillance Reform
26. Expanded Overtime Pay
27. Cut the Deficit
28. Recognized the Dangers of Carbon Dioxide
29. Strengthened Women’s Right to Fair Pay
30. Secured the Removal of Chemical Weapons from Syria
31. Protected LGBTQ Americans From Employment Discrimination
32. Expanded Health Coverage for Children
33. Improved Food Safety

#7 Judge-Jake. Interesting news. And even more interesting behind the scenes Snotr details. Not sure if everyone is going to appreciate new owners tyring to ' Monetize the site' more but one does have to make a living.

Seller's Notes
The site:
Started 10+ years ago in 2005
Users submit videos to the site, voluntary moderators review and post the videos
Almost NO monetization being done, just a few banners
Literally ZERO marketing being done
~59,000 registered users + another 60k email addresses - 17,000 published videos
Best AdSense day: $1,580, best month: $21,451
Total hosting cost: $37 per month including bandwidth
Includes site (source code + database), Facebook and Twitter account
Opportunity:
Market and grow the site, traffic can easily be bought
Monetize the site: add video pre-rolls, sponsored posts, more ad spots, native ads, etc
Why we sell:
Our team is focusing on new projects, need to sell off existing ones
We feel another owner can take the site to the next level

Has no one else noticed that all of the 'perps' are either black or brown and the 'victim' is a white "woman / man in drag". The point is this is this is the worst kind of racialized stereotyping of a criminal / victim and fake or not the video just feeds this pathetic meme.

LOL. Oh the anger and vitriol directed my way. That was to be expected. Trump supporters are passionate, especially the ones who have consumed the Kool-Aid and believe the empty but effective jingoistic slogans and promises that Trump made during the campaign and has NO intent or ability to ever fulfil. Only in America could a politician receive 2.85 million fewer votes than his opponent but still win the election. But that is the quirk of the American Electoral College, something we thankfully don’t have. Not to say we haven’t elected crap governments and politicians but no one as unprepared and as unqualified as Trump. Only time will tell of course – lets check back in a year. The last time America elected an incurious and facile Republican to the presidency he ignored warnings and allowed 9/11 to happen, lied America into a war in Iraq, destabilized the entire Middle East, oversaw the cratering of the US economy and start of a financial depression, skyrocketing unemployment and signed off on a number of war crimes like torture and indefinite detention. And that is the short list. One can only imagine what Trump and his isolationist trade policies, anti-Muslim sentiments, and budget busting wall and military build ups will do. One can only hope and pray your Congress and the grownups keep him in check.

2. thefox To each their own of course. So you are not concerned with Trump’s behaviour, impulsive statements, huge conflicts of interests with his business ties, lack of preparation or knowledge or even interest in global affairs and Amero-centrism? And when it comes to power projection - then he will 'bomb the shit out of them' and of course he 'knows more about ISIS then the generals'

I have to ask – why you not concerned? Just one example from 3 days ago. How can Trump’s tweeted (of course) apparent embrace of nuclear proliferation and statement ‘“Let it be an arms race [with Russia and nukes] We will outmatch them at every pass and outlast them all.” Not concern you?

What is it about Trump that gives you confidence and a sense of comfort?

#3 3. ComentAtor - has he managed to get away? Kind of but not really ;-)

By THE ASSOCIATED PRESSDEC. 21, 2016, 7:24 A.M. E.S.T.

NEW YORK — New York City police say they believe the opportunistic thief who swiped an 86-pound bucket of gold flakes worth nearly $1.6 million off an armored truck in Manhattan is hiding out on the West Coast.

Detectives say the man fled to Orlando, Florida after the Sept. 29 theft before ultimately landing in California. Police believe he's hiding out in the Los Angeles area with the stolen gold.

Police say their suspect is 53-year-old Julio Nivelo, who goes by the name Luis Toledo, David Vargas and other aliases. They say he is a career thief from New Jersey who has been arrested and deported back to his native Ecuador several times.

Walruses? These look like seals to me. Or sea lions? Do walruses venture that far south and hang out near humans like this? These look like the seals and sea lions I saw on a trip to San Francisco. Regardless, the reaction to the little dog was too funny. (this was my pre Fenton post - I was able to accidentally edit my original post with Fenton comments after people had commented... did not expect that ;-)

#15. kirkelicious I completely agree with you. Many men do this all the time. Agreed. And this is where I think #10. sux2bu and I miscommunicated. I never inferred or suggested that he or all of the Snotr community shared such traits or beliefs, in fact Snotr is a self-selecting community and therefore not a good sample size, but I will continue to argue that such positions and push back (i.e the negatives I presented) are in fact prevalent in society writ large and that by reasonable inference some (some) members of the Snotr community may hold such views. Just look at the pushback from #5. Fjwjr and #12. Thefox , calling me a ‘liberal’ and a ‘female’, (both inaccurate BTW) as if this is some sort of coherent counter argument and not what I suspect it is – their passive sexist tendencies or at least insecurities on such matters. Ironically one could even argue their commmets helped to bolster my original argument.. anyway, bottom line is I felt the vid was brilliant in its take on sexism and gender discrimination and these issues are very much a factor in today’s society and perhaps even in the corners of our little Snotr bubble – and we all have a stake in pushing back when encountered. I think we can all agree on that no?

12. thefox ‘Sounds like you're getting in touch with your feminine side. In fact, I think it's likely you are a female’.

With all due respect how is my gender in anyway relevant to the issues at hand (i.e. fighting sexism and for gender equality)? These are issues of basic human rights IMHO so men and women have an equal right and stake in them. Also, suggesting that I am female in spite of my profile designation as a male is well stupid and quite frankly revealing about your own positionality – so such concerns are really indicative of a female mind-set? You may want to reflect on your own sexist tendencies. Both sexes have a stake in this - this is not a woman's only issue and people like you, passively holding sexist beliefs and spouting off sexist assertions only allows this the staus quo to continue.

And #5 fjwjr. Why so defensive? Could it be that my comments touched too close to home? It would explain the your pedestrian efforts at reverse psychology and the ‘I am rubber you are glue’ defence. Yes, I am disguising my sexist agenda … you got me.

And why is it when people are desperate they resort to the pejorative? stereotyping of people they disagree with as a ‘liberal’. It is like Godwins law but instead of Hitler you are a ‘liberal’. This is such an American retort. So a belief in gender equality, fairness, and non-discrimination etc etc is a negative thing and it is what ‘liberals’ project on to others? Interesting. And this is a bad thing?

#4. sux2bu . Perhaps but you may be surprised. Satirical pieces such as this that speaks truth to power with respect to sexism, prejudice, stereotyping, and gender discrimination are biting, and make people (in this case men) uncomfortable and perhaps angry because they hit to close to home and to some people’s beliefs. The narrator of the vid trotted out a bucketful of worn sexist cliché and memes and while you may not hold such beliefs – a great majority of women, I’d guess 90% or higher, have experienced sexism along these lines at some point in their lives. Push back from some men is inevitable, declaring this to be no longer valid or not accurate, will experience anger and the negatives that I listed are completely predictable and frequent. And it inevitably takes the form of the list that I presented. Rather than think about existing inequality and sexism the response is either anger and/ or a move to delegitimize or dehumanize to messenger – in this case the farmer.

#1 indeed - she rocks. And given that this 'farmer' doesnt look like Yuja Wang but a regular everyday woman it doesnt take a whole lot of imagination to anticipate how the haters are going to hate on this ad - cue the body shaming on the actress, attack on her imagined sexual orientation, her masculine body language, scowly face, or the unpleasent tone of her voice. Perhaps she is menstruating and that is why she is so grumpy? Ah - now the ad makes more sense.

#1 and #3 "with the internet and email becomming so common"? in Dec 2016? are you kidding me?? Add me to the list of people who would rather eat a a bullet or buckshot than listen to or follow this stupidity... this is f-ing awful.

So you have to agree with everything you post? Interesting rule. And limiting IMHO.

I posted this vid because it is, for better or honestly worse, somehow a popular cultural video meme and some in the Snotr community will appreciate this. And that is a good thing. I find the bro-thusiasm and the self-congratulatory circle jerk aspects of these vids to be mind numbingly stupid and I struggle to understand their popularity. Others get a kick out of them. Works for me. This is what makes this an interesting site and an eclectic community. You never know what will pop up but if I have the time I will try to give all a view.

The most brutally efficient (in number caught without reloading ) trap I have ever seen was a variant of the simple grey bin version at the end. This trap consisted of a medium sized wooden dowel bisecting the top, held in place by two U-shaped brackets which allowed the wooden dowel to rotate. In the middle of the dowel / centre of the bin – peanut butter was used as the bait, thick blob all the way around. Mice walk out, get to the peanut butter, the dowel rolls, mice drop into bin. No need to reset. This trap was astonishingly effective. 5-7 per night for 3 nights running. It was an old summer house. And yes, extra peanuts in the bottom to avoid cannibalism so the critters could be taken well away and set free the next morning.

Or one could listen to a Bach or Mozart cantatas .... German is more then just Hitler's Nuremberg rally and Neubauten. It can be a perfectly pleasent language, some people just unfortunately map stereotypes or bias on to it to hear what they want. And ignore the equivalent sounds all around around them.

First, any time you start a sentence with ‘no offense meant to X’ you are most likely going to offend someone. This is one of those delightfully ironic English idioms IMHO. Up there with ‘with all due respect’ when respect per se is really never sincerely offered. Nichts fuer ungut.

So German has a preponderance of harsh guttural speech sounds for your English ears? Fair enough. Do you have the same feelings about Welsh and Irish? Or Scots Gaelic? These are equally guttural languages phonetically. And as an Englishman you are surrounded by guttural languages - the auditory horror ;-)

Guttural sounding to me is the phonological inventory of Arabic and Hebrew and Persian. That is tough on the ears for a non speaker like me.

#12. Scotsman50 - I respectfully disagree with you. There is a very good explanation if one views the roots of racism as being anchored in power (as in cultural, political, economic power etc.) and as a way to help organize, sustain and perpetuate a systemic order whereby those in power and authority in a society use the sustained degradation of the ’others’ in order maintain and preserve their status and dominance. This starts at the most basic level by conceptually and semantically framing the ‘other’ in derogatory terms (i.e. racist categorizations), as sub human, less than, inferior and not worthy of equal status, membership, rights and thus role and agency. This creates a the situation that you have observed with frustration whereby it is ok for a black man (for example) to use this word because he doesn’t have access to that power (power being institutional power) and thus it loses its force within that community and in fact, over time, it can come to symbolize membership and solidarity and even identity through semantic reappropriation. Yes, members of the black community have taken ownership of a word whose base etymology stems from a derogatory slur designed to humiliate and remind them that they are lesser people. If you are in group the idea is that you will share the same experiences of having to live in and with black skin and all of those implications and presuppositions with respect to IQ, ability, intent, threat… etc. It is not an equal playing field. Just let me ask – is there any equal slur for all white people? Not the cultural slurs (e.g. Irish, Polish etc. etc.) but a term as equally powerful and degrading and all-encompassing as that word for all ‘white’ people? I would argue no. No offense is usually taken when said in group, the other black person doesn’t have the inherent power to make use it in the way a white person can. But this rule clearly does not apply to whites addressing blacks thus the inequality you commented on. And yes, anticipating push back, black people can be rich and powerful but they will still suffer the same suspicion and harm when addressed by this word. Barack Obama was the US president, an intellectual, and the most powerful leader it the world for 8 years but to some he was still just another (insert slur).

Yet # 5. thefox you say you [have] no problem with the word 'nigger' or 'nigga'. Ok. So you feel comfortable writing and using this word – does this extend to discourse? Do you feel comfortable saying it? To others? In the presence of black / brown people?

A question to all.

Where do you personally draw your ‘comfort line’ with words such as nigger, faggot etc? When would you not feel comfortable using / saying them? Does this extend outside the anonymity of the internet? And if not – why not? Thefox may have no problem with using this word but replacing letters with ** sets him/her off? I imagine he/she is not alone in this. The semantic content, which is to demean and degrade or offend remains regardless as thefox pointed out with f*ck. I find it troubling that some apparently have ‘no problem with the word 'nigger' or 'nigga' – we should all have some trouble, pause or concern for any use of that word no?

2. CorpseGrinder - indeed. Out of curiosity looked it up. Just look at the rules for visitors.

Prohibited tourist attire, according to Chernobyl Tour, includes: shorts, short trousers, skirts, open footwear, and short sleeves. Prohibited behavior includes: eating, drinking and smoking in open air; touching buildings, trees, plants; gathering and eating mushrooms, berries, fruit, and nuts in forests and gardens of the abandoned settlements, sitting on the ground, putting photo and video cameras, bags, backpacks and other personal belongings on the ground.

According to PBS, 10 minutes next to the No. 4 reactor gives someone close to seven times more than a fatal dose of radiation.

If history is any lesson then the Finns with 5 planes should be able to hold off the entire Russian air force and inflict massively disproportionate casualties over an unexpectedly long period. Never bet against a Finn, especially when the enemy is a Russian ;-)

FWIW The South Koreans have done the same thing. Big open flat straight sections of thier main highways even have meter markers on the side to assist take off and landing. Kind of clever dual use in the event of emergency or war.

This is a wonderful place, big big ups for promoting adoption, and the videos are heart-warming... however... I think it is important to not forget that this is called 'Land of the Strays' so all of the beautiful creatures have been most likely abandoned, left to fend for themselves, dumped, or not really looked for after running away. I would guess that given the sizes – most were probably too expensive to maintain or they got too old, required too much maintenance, became ill, or were no longer cute enough. And that sickens me. People disposing or abandoning such lovely critters like they were property is kind of a universal thing and it saddens me. To be honest I wish such brilliant stray dog reserves were not needed. Ironically, these scenes of joy and happiness were largely created by human selfishness – so always adopt and try live by the mantra that a pet is a responsibility for life. We owe it to them.

#4 thefox . Wow. So when someone voices an opinion about a fact, and a truthful one at that, this vid has appeared several times and my concern over lack of diversity, contribution etc etc - and you dont like the tone, that alone is grounds to be ‘kicked off the site immediately’? I was critical but not profane, not demeaning or degrading but expressing an opinion (ok critical but this happens in the real world) as a member of this community since 2008 and I should be summarily thrown off the site? That is just a sad reaction on your part. Firm polite critical observation and feedback should be welcomed not silenced as you thuggishly propose.

And #5. Thundersnow. Respectfully, the admins are the ones who control the site, post vids and are ultimately responsible for the good and the bad and when they falter what is the harm in pointing it out? If not the admins then who? Is no one accountable? You do love your heart emojis and seem to promote the ‘lets all get along’ vibe but I didn’t anticipate you promoting Snotr as some sort of squishy safe space where critical evaluative comments would not be allowed. If you agree to admin a site then you have agreed to certain responsibilities IMHO and with that comes both praise and criticism if you don’t live up to the community’s basic expectations – and reposting a vid now 3 times (see sux2bu) and twice in 5 days does strike me as an avoidable oversight. Why else do we have admins then? I don’t suggest we drop into rude anarchy but for f-sake people, sack up and use the feedback to improve the site and our collective experience. I wasn’t rude or harsh just to be a troll but to try and improve our collective experience. Reposting the old seal in the net vid again and twice in 5 days is avoidable and will drive viewers away – just like an expended onslaught of one person submissions. If you want that go to YouTube and subscribe to someone’s channel.

Thanks #1 Thunders. You beat me to it.
Ok admins this is just getting stupid. You didnt have enough Burimi on hand so you just reposted something he submitted and you posted not 5 days ago? This is recent memory - you really need to do better. See previous concerns and or complaints re Snotr diversity, quantity and now quality... Sigh.

#1. ComentAtor. Thanks for the heads up re when the action starts. At first I thought this was either a ‘plane-spotting for insomniacs’ vid or another pranking the viewer vid and I ended it before wasting any more time. Then I saw your comments re action. Gracias.

And now – sigh. Once again, the adage applies, never underestimate peoples’ stupidity. Out of curiosity I quickly consulted a tech nerd pilot’s site. Roughly a jet’s exhaust at 150 feet = +/- 100 knots @ 94 F. 100 knots = 115 mph or 185 km/hr. So people wearing minimal clothes are getting hit by sand, rocks, debris travelling at 115 mph or 185 km/hr. That has to f-ing hurt. Not to mention be very dangerous for one’s eyes. I have been in desert sandstorms before and that debris stung or hurt like hell, actually pitted my sun glasses and was very unpleasant in the nose and lungs. Yet imbecilic tourists continue to flock to this location (this is not the first St. Maarten vid I have seen). Sigh.

#5. thundersnow & #6. Mwak you have both missed my point. This is not really about who submitted what (note I did mention that Burimi’s vids are on average not bad) or ego (ego? I have things posted on occasion, it is not about that at all) it is about diversity and variation. If you just post from one submitter over and over again it can, perhaps unintentionally, discourage others from submitting stuff and that impacts all of us who enjoy this site. This site should encourage participation from its viewers and a run of just Burimi undermines that. A run of anyone undermines that no matter how good. If the admins only have Burimi to choose from then we are at fault and Snotr is not as healthy as it appears to be. And I need my dose of sux2bu from time to time to remind me of what is great, good, and unabashedly and proudly Murican ;-) We may bump heads but I still appreciate and value his contributions. Except trump – that will never happen ;-)

Horary!! Something other than Burimi submission!!! Look admins, I know you post what is submitted and you have a thankless job, and the past vids are generally ok (thank god the pranky vid on the viewer experience has ended) but Burimi has now accounted for what - 21 of the last 24 videos over the past few days? Even if it from a well intentioned Albanian with apparently a lot of time on his hands ;-) Please try mix submissions up a bit.

To be honest very few people should be allowed to use a chainsaw. They are dangerous things and dont require any training, people often just but them and start cutting. And that is not even considering the complexity of safely dropping a tree in less than ideal conditons. Chainsaws should be treated like firearms - with respect, caution, proper safety gear and training. Or not and then you get these videos where even professional loggers at 1:01 can get in trouble.

Ohhh Murica just demonstrated by its recent election of Trump that it will not be outdone in the stupid and bad decisions department. This cannon is part and parcel of what they are capable of when they put thier minds and votes to it.

#3 #2 Just like you to ask someone to look in their pants and tell you what gender they are.
#3 #4 How else are you going to know what gender they are?

thefox - with all due respect - The strength of your opinion is matched by the level of your sheer ignorance. You continue to make the most basic mistake and that is conflating / confusing biological SEX (male and female sex organs – which itself doesn’t account for intersexuals, a naturally occurring phenomenon btw) and GENDER the SOCIALLY CONSTRUCTED AND DETERMINED characteristics of women and men by virtue of norms, roles etc. These are two very different things. Masculinity and femininity and how these are perceived are certainly informed by the tackle under the kilt but often independent from the biological sex of an individual. But by all means continue to pontificate on something you clearly have no idea about. Gender is a scalar concept and can vary over time. Sex rarely does.

Seems legit Judgy. I was wondering about dispersion of the spray, would be easy to seal the lock cylinder in gaffers tape no? Seems they considered that. ‘The noxious, vomit-inducing chemicals are confined and permanently sealed within a secure hollow chamber throughout the lock. The lock is made from hardened medium-carbon steel that exceeds 450 brinell. The difference is that if a thief cuts far enough through to puncture the seal, the lock will release noxious chemicals stopping the thief in their tracks’ Anyplace you cut will release the spray. Kind of clever.

Skateboarding accidents seem to generate the most satisfying schadenfreude... Nothing else even comes close and there are some really stupid and painful challengers. Something about a skateboarder eating pavement, a railing, a kerb is distrubingly amusing.

For people who live in regions where snakes are a real danger this kind of prank is absolutely lame and not funny. Snakes kill people in many less developed parts of the world so his reaction is understandable. A proper analogy would be a gun joke in America. Imagine in NYC a person jumping out, pointing a pistol and firing blanks at an unsuspecting victim. Ha ha! No pretty f-ing stupid and deserving of a good ass kicking. Or a stand your ground 9mm defence. But hey, that guy was scared and probably sh*t himself. ha ha ha. What an idiot and a classically funny vid.

We know that money cant buy taste but it appears that it also cant buy common sense or good judgement as well. And if that really is the ocean… nothing like a good salt water buffing to bring out the shine… Sigh.

A painfully boring and utterly stupid video. You never see a close up of the poor critter but I am sure he is having a fabulous time back there. Well trained dogs will often do what is asked of them because they trust their owners. Doesn’t mean they are enjoying it or it is a good idea or it somehow something to celebrate. I hate it when people use critter’s trust to put them in a situation for their amusement.

FIVE different beekeepers? It would have been much more exciting (and arguably easier and faster) to ring up a single Colin Furze and have him bring either his DIY X-MEN PYRO gear or Thermite Launcher over. ;-)

I am just amazed that he didn’t immediately point to the defender nearest to him and scream foul, hold his leg, and go limp until a stretcher was dispatched. And then protest when it was ignored. That is football 101. Never ever your fault ;-)

Mother Russia and her denizens take a lot of sh*t on this site, and some may argue rightfully so, but the first accident out of the gate, the scooter rider, gets tagged and his first reaction is to check on the driver and not yell and scream or threaten violence. Kudos to the rider and I imagine this may happen more often than we ever get to see with this vid genre. Useful helping Russians and not drunk sods.

Interesting and informative vid. The Kevlar may stop the round but one should not underestimate (as the vid demos) the damage that the transfer of kinetic energy has on bones and organs. This can easily be just as lethal. Better than having a bullet tear through you but sometimes not by much. Hard to survive with shattered ribs poking into pulverized lungs or doing anything with a bruised heart - which is conveniently located pretty much centre mass.

Interesting semantics and framing. In the summary the narrator referred to the gun as a ‘force multiplier’ and not as a weapon, gun or pistol. ‘It was on him and ready to go in the moment’. I wonder what new more neutral euphemism will be used for bullets - ‘projectile counter-measures’?

#4 and #5 - I remember when this story appeared on Slashdot on 17/04. Looks to be for realz.

Zapata Racing has begun testing prototypes of a new jet-powered hoverboard called the "Flyboard Air". The Verge published a new interview with the company's CEO, who confirms that a backpack full of kerosene-grade fuel powers the flying hoverboard's four 250-horsepower turboengines, with two more engines used for stabilizaton. Capable of flying up to 100 miles per hour, the jet-powered hoverboard uses an internal algorithm to adjust the thrust and angle of each turboengine, so "It's like we have six systems working together plus my brain and my legs." The company hopes to ultimately interest the military and security sectors in the technology, but they're also working on a smaller version that could be piloted while sitting, which the CEO describes as "extremely small, extremely stable, and something that you can take to go and buy your bread in the morning."

Indeed – fully agree with all of the previous comments. I think one should also look at the plus side, as a rider myself who has had some scary moments, at least he was able to walk away from this crash with some minor damage to his bike and ego and no one else was involved. This was a good lesson and he picked a good place to have it. Lets hope he learns from it, can appreciate his good fortune and becomes a more responsible rider. And buys some decent pants and boots for f*cks sake.

Jesus Christo some of these fails probably caused serious injury if not death to people. Worker fail can be funny, structural fail perhaps, but when someone is most likely killed or permanently injured in the course of some of these fail events then it no longer becomes amusing and veers towards grim IMHO. Eye opening collection Sux2bu.

Oh the irony. This (American) starts by lamenting the loss of life due to drinking and driving (no argument there) but then goes on to champion and gleefully promote his gun and a gun culture that actually kills MORE people and wounds more people per annum in the US than alcohol. The most recent and available statistics are from 2014. He may be a good responsible gun owner but he, and his ilk, are facilitating and promoting a way of life and a cultural value that is just as widely abused and demonstrably harmful as the drinking and driving that he so soberly warns us about. I know I know big .50 cal sniper rifles are cool and needed for hunting and home and personal defence..

#7. It is definitely Bavarian dialect, agreed. The first bit ‘Alter verwalter’ is really two parts IMHO, the first word is colloquial for ‘dude’ and the 2nd word makes no sense. The whole things is just an expression of surprise. Dude!! The next full sentence ‘alter das geht ja gor net eh’ (I think this is it) literally translates to ‘Dude it is not how is should work (or) not how it should be’. Again – shock at how quickly it collapsed. This is my rough translation for what it is worth.

Come on #1 and #2 - cant you just pause for a minute on the VW hating and appreciate an epically funny and f-ing creative prank? Imagine being overtaken on the road by a car seemingly towing a trailer in reverse (1:29). That was brilliant. Nearly lost my coffee while laughing. Thanks pignmar41 for sharing.

It is called entertainment and FPSRussia is an entertainer. Who cares if he is not Russian, are you equally angry when actors play scientists, secret agents and superheroes? FPSRussia provides a highly popular character and a service – he is pornographer of sorts, making military grade masturbation fantasies and high velocity wet dreams come true for millions of gun aficionados who will never get the chance to actually see, hold or shoot any of the weapons he profiles. He is a likeable actor / personality who runs a highly lucrative and popular website – more power to him. He wants to play a Russian so be it. You tune in for the guns and FPSRussia always seems to deliver so why the protests?

#1 & #3. Go easy on the lad - the lack volume modulation, the topical repetition, facial expressions and the spittle on the lips at the end would suggest that he may have some kind of cognitive impairment. I don’t think he deserves full on trolling. He is reporting the weather – let him have his fun. And hope that he gets home safely.

So he has a compound, and a tiled room with no windows and a water faucet (and presumably a floor drain) and a heavy duty metal reinforced door that locks from the outside. Ok… that got unexpectedly creepy quite quickly. This is the kind of thing you would expect an Austrian to have not a German ;-)

LOL. Taken from wikipedia. 'Clackers were taken off the market when reports came out of children becoming injured while playing with them. Fairly heavy and fast-moving, and made of hard acrylic plastic, the balls would occasionally shatter upon striking each other'. 'The toy enjoyed a brief renewal of popularity in the 1990s with clackers consisting of a handle and plastic triangles with the plastic balls at the end giving weight to the free moving toy. It was played the same way and sold in bright neon colours' 'Clackers were also used as weapons by Joseph Joestar, the protagonist of the "Battle Tendency"

#1. 'Would definitely get my attention' indeed as you get smacked in the head, arm body etc until you get proficient enough. Spinning presumably hard plastic balls on a cord, what could go wrong? Few people last that long and then these things usually get chucked in the drawer and forgotten about. Until the next spinning thing fad comes along. Can make for a clever performance however for those with the appropriate mindset, recreational habits and lifestyle...

Ah yes, the Merican Eastern Grey Squirrel – we love them across the pond. True to their cultural roots Grey’s are bigger, heavier, and eat more than the indigenous European red squirrels and as such have damn near wiped the reds out in the UK and parts of Europe. Greys are considered an invasive species over here - cute but destructive. ;-)

#3 Good question. And the simple answer is it is not. But lets not have pesky 'facts' get in the way of #2's feel good rant. This well, drilled in 1953, which goes into an abandoned oilfiled is part of the underground Aliso Canyon storage facility. Negligence and lack of proper maintenence is most likely the culprit. Fracking is nasty business and deserving of a discussion but it doesnt appear to have ANY relevance here.

Given how American media (i.e tele, newspapers and radio) has consolidated down to a few large corporate owners and media empires – how can this homogenization of message, content and delivery be any sort of surprise? Of course it is all scripted now. Proper reporters and investigative journalists have been deliberately downsized to save money, feel good wire stories are now presented as news, and then talking heads read the scripts presented in their teleprompters. Go one step further and add in political agendas and you get the epitome of brilliantly scripted messaging seen with Fox news. The 4th estate has been systematically and deliberately gutted and this is what we have ended up with. Sadly.

I would love to see a vid on how he actually made this impressive model, the guts and the tech elements, even how he breaks it down, transports and sets it up. This would be as interesting IMHO as the fly around demo.

The odds of winning anything is statistically quite low. You have better odds of being hit by a car in a crosswalk than winning the lottery. Then you need to calculate the winnings, a great majority of winning tickets are small teaser payouts, versus the monies spent over time to win something. A huge majority of people actually lose money in this transaction when looked at over time, this is an empirical fact, and those with less discretionary income disproportionally play lotteries – people whose money would be better spent on tangible things like food, rent, etc. etc. It is quite simply a tax on the fools and sadly the lower classes.

Oh the potential!! Merica + gun culture + culturally strident / engrained beliefs of protection of home, freedom from surveillance and invasion of home and property and land (via fly over from pesky drones) - how soon until one of these Amazon drones is blasted out of the sky? Puma even ground firm soccer shoe and drone bits raining down over the landscape. It is only a matter of time. Tick tock ;-)

Clearly a good sized fire and obviously a chemical plant, in China, and your first thought is to record it with your phone? From that distance? WTF. What ever happened to common sense and the urge to flee / evacuate? Chemicals and fire = toxic smoke = run away run away in my mind and not 'lets record this'. Yes #1 people are 'stoopid' What ever happened to self preservation instincts?

I like the colour coordination: brownish bear, brown camp chair, and almost certainly a brown stain in the seat of the photographer's pants. He reacted well and appropriately but that had to scare the faeces out of him.